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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ~ 






JLS 



FORMS 

OF j 

MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER, ^*+^? 

COMPOSED FOR 

THE USE OF FAMILIES. 



By JONATHAN FARR. 




BOSTON : 

JAMES MUNROE AND COMPANY. 

MDCGC KXXVI. 



*. *- 






* * > • .-**% * ^ <^ ^^ 



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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1836, by James 
Munroe & Co., in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of 
Massachusetts. 



JZ/^f 



CAMBRIDGE PRESS: 

METCALF, TORSY, AND BALLOU. 

LC Control Number 




tmp96 027687 



TO HEADS OF FAMILIES. 



This volume is put into your hands to encour- 
age and assist you in the performance of a very 
much neglected, but a very important duty — the 
duty of worshipping God in your families. 

When I have shared in the bounty of your 
table, you have requested me to say grace before 
and after meat. When I have spent the night at 
your house, before we have retired to rest, you 
have called your family together, brought me the 
Bible, and asked me to read and pray ; and in 
the morning you have done the same. 

Such signs of regard for the ministerial office, 
and of reverence for, and interestedness in religion, 
I am always glad to witness. But the question 
arises in my mind, on such occasions : — Are 
these services performed when no clergyman is 
present ? Do you, before sitting down to eat, 



IV TO HEADS OF FAMILIES. 

look up to God for his blessing ; and do you, 
before leaving the table, thank him for his boun- 
ty ? Do you, when no minister of religion is 
sojourning with you, call your family together, 
morning and evening, for reading the Scriptures 
and for prayer ; or do you begin and end the day 
without any such exercises of devotion ? 

If it is rny duty to pray, is it not yours also ? 
Reading the Scriptures, prayer, devotion, piety, 
are duties and exercises that belong to laymen, 
as well as to clergymen. It is the minister's duty 
to guide your devotions in the house of God ; it 
is your duty to guide the devotions of those in 
your own house. 

If you knew that your minister, in his family, 
was not in the habit of saying grace, of reading 
the Bible, and of offering morning and evening 
prayers to God, though he performed these ser- 
vices ever so well abroad, you would think it 
very strange ; you would think it very wrong. 
You would doubt his fitness for, or his faithful- 
ness in, his holy office. But if he ought to engage 
in these exercises of devotion in his family, why 
ought you not to engage in them in yours ? 



TO HEADS OF FAMILIES. V 

You have often been reminded of these duties, 
and yet, perhaps, you have omitted them till now. 
If you plead want of time, I would beg you seri- 
ously to consider, whether you can wisely and 
innocently be so constantly devoted to worldly 
pleasures and pursuits, as to allow yourself and 
those under your roof not even a few minutes 
every morning and every evening for reading the 
word of God and for prayer ? Can you think it 
commendable or safe to be so forgetful of your 
heavenly Father and Benefactor ; so indifferent 
about religion ; so careless about your souls, and 
your eternal welfare ? 

If you plead want of confidence and ability to 
pray in your family, I here present you some 
forms of prayer composed for your guide and 
help ; and to encourage you in the use of them, 
let me remind you that many Christians, eminent 
for their learning as well as their piety, read 
their prayers. 

Perhaps you are a professor of religion, and 
yet have reared no family altar ! think of these 
things, and neglect them no longer. 

But perhaps you. will say, you are not a pro- 
fessor of religion, and not pious ! And is this 



VI TO HEADS OF FAMILIES. 

really your spiritual condition, my friend ? And 
are you resting satisfied with it ? O let me ex- 
hort and urge you to repent and turn to God ; 
and may your house soon become a Bethel, and 
your heart a dwelling-place of the holy spirit, 
and your family one of those families that call 
on the name of the Lord ! 

Harvard, May 14, 1836. 



CONTENTS. 



Prayers for every Day in a Fortnight . 1 — 92 

Eight Morning and Evening Prayers for 

any Day in the Week . . .93—119 



OCCASIONAL PRAYERS. 

Christmas . . . . . . .120 

Good Friday 128 

Easter 126 

Thanksgiving 129 

Fast 132 

New Year 136 

Close of the Year 140 

Grace before and after Meat . . . 143 



For a Sick Person 145 

For a Person restored to Health . . 148 

For a Sick Child 152 

On the Death of a Child ... 154 

On the Death of a Parent . . . .158 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

PRIVATE DEVOTIONS. 

For Sabbath Morning .... 163 

On Entering Church 164 

On Leaving Church . . . . 165 

Before Communion 165 

After Communion 167 



FAMILY PRAYERS 



SUNDAY MORNING. 

This is the day the Lord hath made, 

He calls the hours his own ; 
Let heaven rejoice, let earth be glad, 

And praise surround thy throne. 

Eternal and adorable Father! We 
worship thee, as the God of nature and the 
God of grace. Blessed be thy name, that 
we are favored with the light, the comforts, 
and privileges of another sacred morning. 
Through Jesus Christ, who is the true and 
living way, would we lift up our souls to 
thee in prayer and praise. We thank thee 
for the continuance of life and health. To 
whom should we devote ourselves, but to 



A SUNDAY MORNING. 

thee, our Creator and Preserver? Lord, lift 
upon us the light of thy countenance, and 
be merciful unto us. 

May this be a holy, a good, and a profit- 
able day to our souls. May we on this 
day, which reminds us of the resurrection 
of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, 
call to grateful remembrance the peculiar 
blessings we enjoy. May each one of us 
account it a faithful saying and worthy of 
all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into 
the world to save sinners. 

May we dismiss our worldly cares and 
thoughts, and spend this hallowed time in 
self-examination, in penitence, in prayer 
and praise. May we read thy holy word, 
and meditate on thy truth, and increase in 
self-knowledge, in virtue, and holiness. 
May those of us, who have owned Christ, 
adorn a profession of godliness. May those 
of us, who are still delaying our repentance, 
be persuaded to delay no longer. 

If we are permitted to visit thy temple, 
may we do it with earnest desires to wor- 
ship thee acceptably, and to receive thy 



SUNDAY MORNING. d 

truth in the love of it. Direct and bless 
thy ministering servant, who shall guide 
our devotions and invoke thy blessing 
upon us. May our hearts be engaged in 
the services of thy house, and may our souls 
be nourished by the bread of life. Save us 
from wandering thoughts, and from distrac- 
tion of mind. 

Wilt thou bless all the churches of our 
Lord and Saviour. Build them up in the 
faith and order of the gospel, and water 
them with the dews of thy heavenly grace. 
May all who profess and call themselves 
Christians hold that faith once delivered to 
the saints in unity of spirit, in the bonds of 
peace, and in righteousness of life. Hear 
the prayers, accept the praises, which shall 
be offered thee this day by all worshipping 
assemblies. May thy word be spoken faith- 
fully, and may it exert its proper influences 
on those who hear it. 

May the righteous hold on their way; 
may backsliders be reclaimed; may gain- 
sayers be convinced ; and may sinners turn 
and live. Encourage the desponding ; con- 



4 SUNDAY MORNING. 

firm the wavering ; relieve the anxious ; 
direct the inquiring ; give joy to the 
mourner, and a well-grounded hope to the 
dying. 

Wilt thou be with all those who are in 
heathen lands, publishing the glad tidings 
of salvation. Graciously guard, direct, and 
prosper them in their efforts ; and give to 
them many converted souls as seals of their 
ministry, and as crowns of their rejoicing 
in the day of the Lord Jesus. O may the 
time come, when all people shall hear the 
joyful sound of the gospel, and live. 

Bless all literary, religious, and charita- 
ble institutions. May they all tend to the 
diffusion of knowledge, piety, and happi- 
ness. Bless our rulers, and endue them 
with that wisdom which shall qualify them 
for their stations. 

Bless the cause of peace and freedom. 
O may wars and fightings cease, and 
rumors of wars be heard no more. May 
slavery and oppression be done away ; and 
may the Prince of Peace reign king of 
nations, as well as king of saints. 



SUNDAY MORNING. 5 

Bring us to the close of this day in pos- 
session of that peace which the world can- 
not give, and prepare us for an entrance 
into that rest which remaineth for the peo- 
ple of God. We offer our prayer to thee, 
O Father, in the name of Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 



SUNDAY EVENING. 



SUNDAY EVENING. 

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and 
to sing praises unto thy name, O most High ; to show 
forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faith- 
fulness every night. 

Our Father who art in heaven, thou 
inhabitest eternity ; thou art God alone. 
Thou art worthy to receive homage and 
praise from all creatures. teach us to 
believe in thine existence, to admire thy 
works, to reverence thy name, and to be 
submissive and conformed to thy will. 

We thank thee that we have had our 
birth in a Christian land, where we enjoy 
so many advantages for the culture of our 
minds and hearts, and for obtaining a 
knowledge of our duty and destination. 
We thank thee for that transcendent love 
which thou hast manifested to the world, in 
the promise, the advent, the labors, and 
sufferings of thy Son, our Saviour. Thanks 
be to thy name for this thy unspeakable 
gift. 



SUNDAY EVENING. 7 

We bless thee for the privileges and mer- 
cies of this day. If we have received any 
good impressions, may they be lasting ; if 
we have formed any holy resolutions, may 
they be carried into practice ; if we have 
heard any truth, may it have a sanctifying 
influence ; if we have exercised any true 
repentance, may we bring forth its proper 
fruits. And if any of us have misem- 
ployed this precious season, O wilt thou 
pardon us. Wilt thou follow with a divine 
blessing the instructions and services of 
this day. Bless the religious society with 
which we are connected, and him who 
ministers to us in holy things. 

We pray for those who are destitute of 
the advantages we enjoy. Wilt thou re- 
move every hindrance to the progress of 
divine light. Look with pity upon those 
who are darkened by ignorance, deluded by 
error, and enslaved by superstition and sin. 
Illumine their minds with gospel light; 
sanctify their hearts by thy spirit ; and save 
their souls by thy grace in Christ Jesus. 



8 SUNDAY EVENING. 

O thou, who hast made of one blood all 
nations of men to dwell on the face of all 
the earth, wilt thou listen to the cries of 
those in captivity, and slavery, and merci- 
fully appear for their relief. May the galling 
yoke be removed from their necks, the rod 
of the oppressor be broken, and the op- 
pressed go free. 

May we now go to our rest in peace and 
charity with all mankind. Wilt thou 
watch around us, and give us quiet sleep 
in its season ; and if our life is prolonged 
may it be devoted to thee. 

Hear and accept us, O God, in our prayer, 
through Jesus Christ the righteous. Amen. 



MONDAY MORNING. 



MONDAY MORNING. 

God is a spirit ; and they that worship him must wor- 
ship him in spirit and in truth. 

Almighty Father, whenever we attempt 
to worship thee, may we have such views 
of thy character as will lead us to worship 
thee in spirit and in truth. Whenever we 
pray to thee, may we have a just sense of 
our condition and wants; and wilt thou, 
who hearest prayer, through thy mercy in 
Christ, hear us, and grant us such things as 
we stand in need of. 

We thank thee, O God, for the returning 
light, for our awakened powers and facul- 
ties, for our continued comforts, and for 
this opportunity of assembling as a family to 
read thy holy word and to seek thy face by 
united supplications. May we treasure up 
thy word in our hearts, and practise accord- 
ing to it in our lives. May we remember 
that much will be required of those to 



10 MONDAY MORNING. 

whom much is given. May we walk as 
children of the light and of the day, and 
have no fellowship with the works of dark- 
ness. Take possession of each of our hearts. 
Dwell in us by thy spirit. Aid us by thy 
grace. 

Give us day by day our daily bread. 
May we learn to be contented with all 
thine allotments, and resigned under all thy 
dealings towards us. May we be diligent 
and faithful in business, fervent in spirit, 
serving the Lord. May we waste none of 
our time, nor pervert our talents, nor abuse 
the advantages and blessings with which 
we are favored. If our goods increase, suf- 
fer us not to set our hearts upon them ; but 
may we be full of good works, and beware 
of covetousness. If we are poor and un- 
fortunate, save us from repining, and dis- 
pose us to trust in thee who hearest the 
young ravens when they cry, and feedest 
all the fowls of the air. 

May we now go forth to our labor till 
the evening ; and wilt thou grant a divine 
blessing on all our endeavours to know and 
do thy will. 



MONDAY MORNING. ^ 11 

Regard with mercy all our neighbours, 
relatives, and friends. Are any of them in 
trouble, grant them relief; are they in 
error, show them thy truth ; are they liv- 
ing in sin ; give them the grace of repent- 
ance. 

We would at all times feel interested in 
the prosperity of religion, and in the moral 
welfare of our fellow-beings. O may divine 
truth gain ground, and prevail, and triumph, 
till ignorance, superstition, error, and idola- 
try shall be done away; till the wilder- 
ness and the solitary place shall be glad, 
and the desert rejoice and blossom. 

We commend those in authority over us 
to thy protection, guidance, and blessing. 
Grant us peace in our borders, health in 
our habitations ; and make us that happy 
people whose God is Jehovah. For thy 
mercy's sake, O Lord, hear us through Jesus 
Christ, to whom be thanksgiving and praise 
forever. Amen. 



12 MONDAY EVENING. 



MONDAY EVENING. 

When the morning paints the skies, 
When the stars of evening rise, 
We thy praises will record, 
Sovereign Ruler, mighty Lord. 

Eternal, omniscient, and omnipresent 
God, whose we are by creation and preser- 
vation, and to whom we are accountable for 
all our thoughts, words, and actions, day 
unto day uttereth speech, night unto night 
showeth knowledge of thee. Thine is the 
world in which we live, the air which we 
breathe, the sun which gives us light by 
day, the moon and stars which give us 
light by night. To thee we are indebted 
for the food which nourishes us, for the 
raiment we wear, and for the habitations 
which shelter us. Thine arm, though un- 
seen, upholds us ; thy hand, though invisi- 
ble, guides us. On thy care we were cast 
in our earliest moments, and thou hast 
never ceased to care for us. We are monu- 



MONDAY EVENING. 13 

merits of thy wisdom, thy goodness, and 
mercy. O let us never forget thee. Let 
us never grow weary with thy service. 
In the remembrance of thy continued and 
multiplied favors may we feel our increas- 
ing obligations to gratitude, love, and obedi- 
ence. May we have a sacred dread of thy 
displeasure, and a fervent desire of thine 
approbation. Give us the influences of thy 
holy spirit, that we may grow in every 
Christian grace and virtue. May the in- 
structions of thy word be profitable to us, 
being mixed with faith. May we live as 
those appointed to die, and who expect to 
give account to God. 

Sanctify to us all our joys and all our sor- 
rows. May the trials and disappointments, 
which we may be called to endure, remind 
us of our condition, and lead us to a closer 
walk with God. May thy chastisements 
render us meet partakers of thy holiness, 
and may thy mercies rivet our affections 
more strongly on thee. Permit us to live 
so long as it shall be for thy glory and our 
spiritual good ; and O prepare us to depart 



14 MONDAY EVENING. 

out of this world in peace with thee, and 
in the hope of a joyful resurrection. In 
our wakeful, and in our sleeping hours, in 
health and in sickness, in prosperity and in 
adversity, may we be the objects of thy 
care and the subjects of thy grace. 

We pray for those endeared to us by 
social, friendly, and kindred ties. May 
they be friends to virtue and religion, and 
heirs of an heavenly inheritance. May the 
troubled and disconsolate find a refuge ; the 
forlorn, a friend ; the orphan, a father ; the 
widow, a judge, in thee. Guide the young 
in the paths of wisdom, and sustain the 
aged in all their infirmities. We pray for 
the advancement of learning and religion 
in this, and in all lands. O may the king- 
doms of this world become the peaceable 
and happy kingdom of Jesus, through whom 
to thee be glory forever. Amen. 



TUESDAY MORNING. 15 



TUESDAY MORNING. 

Jesus spake a parable unto them to this end, that men 
ought always to pray, and not to faint. 

O God, who art not far from any one of 
us, for by thee we live, and move, and have 
our being, we adore thee as the God and 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and in his 
worthy name we bring thee our morning 
oblation. Though thou art high, yet thou 
hast respect to the lowly. Though the 
heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, yet 
thou condescendest to dwell with the hum- 
ble and contrite heart. Thy favor is life. 
Thy loving-kindness is better than life. 
To fear thee is our highest wisdom; to 
serve thee, our highest privilege; and to 
glorify thee, our greatest glory. Thy hand 
has formed and upheld us. Thou hast 
breathed into us the breath of life, and thine 
inspiration has given us understanding. 



16 TUESDAY MORNING. 

We thank thee for all our powers and 
capacities of body and of soul. We thank 
thee for the grace and truth which have 
come to us by Jesus Christ, the Son of thy 
love. We thank thee for those records of 
thy dispensations, for those discoveries of 
thy character, will, and purposes, which 
thou hast conveyed to us by thine ancient 
prophets and by Jesus Christ. May we 
prize thy word above all price. May we 
believe and obey it ; and may it make us 
wise unto salvation through faith in the 
Redeemer. 

In our season of repose, thou wast our 
guardian ; in our time of activity and labor, 
wilt thou be our strength and guide. Save 
us from folly, idleness, and sin. May we 
walk circumspectly, and have consciences 
void of offence. 

Bless, O God, every family in this place. 
Adapt thy mercies to their circumstances 
and wants. Prosper the cause of religion 
among us. Bless the ministers of the gos- 
pel, and crown their exertions with success. 
Bless the cause of peace, liberty, truth, 
holiness, and charity. 



TUESDAY MORNING. 17 

Be our God through this, and all our 
days ; and finally bring us into thy pres- 
ence, where is fulness of joy, and to a seat 
at thy right hand, where are pleasures for- 
evermore ; and to thy name through Christ 
Jesus shall be all the glory, world without 
end. Amen. 



18 TUESDAY EVENING. 



TUESDAY EVENING. 

In every joy that crowns my days, 

In every pain I bear, 
My heart shall find delight in praise, 

Or seek relief in prayer. 

Infinite and eternal God ! author of our 
being and source of all our blessings, we 
desire, in all the events and circumstances of 
our life, to acknowledge thee. We would 
recount the mercies of the day with thank- 
ful hearts, and beseech thee to forgive 
whatever thou hast seen amiss in our tem- 
per and conduct. May a remembrance of 
our past offences make us more humble 
and watchful in the time to come : and 
may a lively recollection of thy past care 
over us persuade us to trust in thee in every 
future season. 

O God of grace and truth, dispose each 
one of us to embrace the Saviour as he is 
offered to us in the gospel. May we honor 
him as thy Son, and our master ; may we 



TUESDAY EVENING. 19 

listen to, and learn of him as our teacher ; 
may we take our cross against vanity and 
sin, and follow him ; may we copy his ex- 
ample and possess his spirit. O may we 
be created anew in Christ Jesus unto good 
works. Heavenly Father, take away our 
pride, and clothe us with humility. O God, 
suffer us not to glory, save in the cross of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not be high- 
minded, but fear. May we remember that 
our time is short. May we use the world, 
as not abusing it. May we fight the good 
fight of faith, and lay hold on a crown of 
life. 

Hear our intercessions for all our fellow- 
men. Instruct the ignorant, reform the 
sinful, heal the sick, comfort the mourning. 
Be a father to the fatherless, a shield to 
those in danger, a refuge for the oppressed, 
a deliverer to those in bondage. 

While we are asleep, wilt thou protect 
us ; and when we awake in the morning, 
may we feel that thou art with us. We 
offer our prayer in the great Redeemer's 
name, through whom to thee be glory for- 
ever. Amen. 



20 WEDNESDAY MOKNING. 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 

Lord, in the morning thou shalt hear 

My voice ascending high ; 
To thee will I direct my prayer, 

To thee lift up my eye. 

Adorable Creator and constant Benefac- 
tor, who art above all, and through all, and 
in us all, the only wise and true God ! 
may we always cherish towards thee feel- 
ings of reverence, gratitude, and devotion ; 
and also an ardent love and attachment to 
thy Son, the only mediator between God 
and man. O may we never forget what 
he has done and suffered for us ; and may we 
so believe on him that he shall be precious 
to our souls. Let none of us count our- 
selves unworthy of eternal life, neglect the 
great salvation offered to us, nor receive 
the grace of God in vain. Let us not love 
and choose darkness rather than light. 
Remove from us all blindness of mind, all 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 21 

hardness of heart, all contempt of thy word 
and commandments. 

May we so live, that our life shall prove 
a blessing to us, and to those with whom 
we are connected, and be also for thy glory. 
Help us to exercise that repentance which 
is unto life eternal, that faith which is unto 
salvation, that charity which is the bond of 
perfectness, that love which is the fulfilling 
of the law, and that hope which is full of 
a glorious immortality. 

Bless the government under which we 
live, and all our civil rulers. Pity and re- 
lieve the condition of the poor and dis- 
tressed, and open a way for the universal 
spread and reception of the gospel of Christ. 
Encourage and strengthen the friends of 
temperance, peace, humanity, and pure 
religion ; and may all thy children learn to 
deal justly, to love mercy, and walk hum- 
bly with thee, their God. 

O Father, we thankfully own thy care 
over us the past night, and pray for thy 
guidance, support, and blessing during this 



22 WEDNESDAY MORNING. 

day. As it will bring us nearer to death 
and the grave, so may it also bring us 
nearer to heaven and thee. Hear, O God, 
our prayer, and accept us through thy 
mercy in Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen. 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 23 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 

Be careful for nothing ; but in every thing by prayer 
and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be 
made known unto God. 

O God. unto whom all hearts are open, 
all desires known, and from whom no 
secret thing can be hid ; wilt thou cleanse 
our hearts from all unrighteousness, purify 
our desires, and assist us by thy grace to 
reform whatever is wrong in our disposi- 
tions and conduct. We acknowledge our 
dependence on thee for every temporal and 
every spiritual blessing. We would seek 
every favor in the way of thine appoint- 
ment ; and through Jesus Christ, would 
render thanks to thee for thy loving-kind- 
ness to us and to all thy creatures. We 
are thine by creation and preservation j 
may we also be thine by the bonds of an 
everlasting covenant. May our powers 
and faculties be cultivated and improved; 



24 WEDNESDAY EVENING. 

may our time and talents be faithfully em- 
ployed in thy service ; may our knowledge 
be reduced to practice ; our faith have the 
witness of good works ; our spiritual birth 
be tested by our purity of life ; and our 
hope manifested by detachment from the 
world, by submission to thy will, and a 
filial trust in thy providence. 

Great God, the day is thine ; the night 
also is thine. May we lie down to rest, 
confiding in thy protection, committing the 
keeping of our souls and bodies to thee ; 
and shouldst thou continue us to the 
dawning light of another morn, may we 
awake with recruited strength, and with 
new desires to do thy will. Dispose us to 
keep our end in view — to bear in mind 
that we are constantly liable to sickness 
and to death. O teach us so to live that 
we may never be unprepared, nor afraid 
to die. Bless the cause of divine truth. 
May those, who enjoy the light of the 
gospel, live as becomes it ; and upon those, 
who are sitting in moral and religious 
darkness, may the Sun of Righteousness 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 25 

arise with healing in his beams. These, 
our petitions, we present unto thee, O God, 
through our glorious Mediator, Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 



26 THURSDAY MORNING. 



THURSDAY MORNING. 

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanks- 
giving. 

Heavenly Father ! help us to approach 
thee with the morning sacrifice in the 
dispositions and faith of thy children, and 
as disciples of thy Son, Jesus Christ, by 
whom we would give thee thanks for thy 
goodness, and implore thy protection and 
blessing. We thank thee for our preserva- 
tion the past night, for our refreshing sleep, 
and for the light and mercies of this 
morning. We would remember with grati- 
tude all thy dealings towards us. We 
woijld own and feel our dependence on 
thee, and would ever confide in thy pater- 
nal care. Keep us this day from sinning 
against thee, or abusing thy blessings. 
Animate us in all the duties, and prepare 
us for all the events before us. May we 
be watchful over our desires and passions, 



THURSDAY MORNING. 27 

and ever act under a deep sense of our 
accountableness to thee. 

While we labor to make suitable provis- 
ion for our temporal wants, let us not be 
unmindful of our dependence on thee, nor 
be negligent about our spiritual welfare. 
Save us from an unreasonable anxiety 
about our earthly condition, and dispose 
us to lay up our treasure in the heavens. 
While we live in the world, may we 
live above it. May we grow wiser and 
better by that course of moral discipline 
to which we are subjected. Aid us so to 
own and follow Christ, that we shall 
be owned by him, when he appears in 
glory. 

Bring each of us to the close of the day 
in peace and safety. Enlighten the world 
with a knowledge of the truth as it is 
in Jesus, and show thy salvation to all 
mankind. Be with all those who are 
preaching the gospel in heathen lands, and 
make their words effectual by thy heavenly 
aid. 



28 THURSDAY MORNING. 

Reward our benefactors, and dispose us 
to exercise a meek and forgiving spirit 
toward all who may have injured us. May 
our relatives and friends share in thy favors ; 
and wilt thou guide them and us in the way 
of holiness. 

O thou, who hearest prayer, wilt thou 
hear, answer, and forgive us, according to 
thine infinite mercy in Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



THURSDAY EVENING. 29 



THURSDAY EVENING. 

Sum up, at night, what thou hast done by day ; 
And in the morning, what thou hast to do. 

Dress and undress thy soul. Mark the decay 
And growth of it. If, with thy watch, that too 
Be down, then wind up both. Since we shall be 
Most surely judged, make thy accounts agree. 

God, the Creator and Governor of the 
universe, the giver of every good and per- 
fect gift ; may it never seem a weariness to 
any of us "to worship and serve thee. May 
Ave delight in reading thy holy word, in 
meditation, and prayer. May we ever ac- 
count it a good thing to show forth thy 
loving-kindness in the morning, and thy 
faithfulness at night. Lord, hitherto thou 
hast helped us. Thy providence has 
guarded our lives, and thy bounty has sup- 
plied our wants. Whatever of duty we 
have done this day, wilt thou graciously 
accept ; and mercifully pardon all our sins. 
Deliver us from the dominion of error, and 



30 



THURSDAY EVENING. 



sanctify us by the truth, as it is revealed to 
us by thy Son Jesus. O may we, like him, 
make it our meat to do thy will; like him, 
may we seek to glorify thy name ; like 
him, may we fill up our days in doing good. 
Teach us the value of our time, the worth 
of our souls, the importance of religion, 
and our need of that grace and mercy 
which are offered to the world through a 
crucified Saviour. 

May all professors of religion walk wor- 
thy of their high and holy vocation ; and 
let their light so shine before men, that 
others, seeing their good works, may glorify 
thee, their heavenly Father. Regard with 
compassion those who know thee not. 
Bring them to a sense of their condition 
and dangers, and to a true and timely re- 
pentance. 

Be merciful to the poor, the afflicted, and 
distressed, and relieve them according to 
their necessities. Hear our prayer for all 
in peril, tribulation, and bondage. May 
those who now delight in war become ad- 
vocates for peace ; may the oppressive and 



THURSDAY EVENING. 31 

cruel become humane and merciful. Dis- 
pose the intemperate to form habits of 
sobriety, and the profane to reverence thy 
supreme majesty. O may vice and iniquity 
come to an end, and virtue and holiness 
universally prevail. 

Defend us from all danger this night ; 
and if we awake in the morning, may we 
again dedicate ourselves to thee. 

Not in our own name, O God, do we ask 
and offer these things ; but in the name of 
thy Son, our Saviour. Amen. 



32 



FRIDAY MORNING. 



FRIDAY MORNING. 

" Words without thoughts never to heaven go." 

We thank thee, heavenly Father, for the 
light of this morning ; for the health and 
happiness, for the domestic comforts and 
the religious privileges, with which we are 
still favored. We would consider life a 
blessing, so long as thou shalt suffer us to 
live. For us to live, may it be Christ, and 
to die, gain. May our faith and hope be 
such, that, in the time of our dissolution, 
we can say, O death ! where is thy sting ? 
O grave ! where is thy victory ? Thanks 
be to God, who giveth us the victory 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. O prepare 
each one of us for the conflict of a dying 
hour, and for the solemn realities of the 
eternal world. 

Take the charge of us through the 
passing day ; and while we implore thy 
watchful care over us, let us not be stu- 



FRIDAY MORNING. 33 

pid and careless ourselves. Thou know- 
est our frame, thou rememberest we are 
dust. O may thy strength make us strong 
for every conflict with the world and 
with ourselves ; and may thy wisdom make 
us wise to find and pursue the path of vir- 
tue. Let us not consent to the enticements 
of sinners, nor choose the way of the 
wicked ; and may ours be the happiness to 
fear thee, and to have respect unto the 
recompense of reward. Let not the artful 
beguile and ensnare us, nor the seductive 
lead us astray. In every duty may we seek 
thine approbation and have thy blessing ; 
in every trial and disappointment be thou 
our solace and hope. Let us never slight 
thy holy word, nor disregard the admoni- 
tions of thy providence, nor stifle the voice 
of conscience, nor quench, nor grieve thy 
holy spirit. Let not our appetites and pas- 
sions betray us into sin, nor our desires 
estrange us from thee. In the midst of our 
daily occupations, may our toils be light- 
ened by thoughts of thee ; in our seasons 
of rest may we meditate on thy works and 



34 FRIDAY MORNING. 

word ; and not only in our times of prayer, 
but always, may we have pious minds and 
devout hearts. By our conversation and 
conduct, by our justice and benevolence, 
may the world be benefited by our having 
lived in it. 

Almighty Parent, thou hast bound us 
together by kindred ties. O may these 
ties be hallowed by religion, and rendered 
indissoluble by a Christian faith and hope. 

May we who are parents be faithful to 
the children thou hast given us, and bring 
them up in the nurture and admonition of 
the Lord. May our children honor and 
obey their parents, and tenderly love one 
another. 

Bless all the families around us. May 
every house be the abode of health, relig- 
ion, and happiness. Be near to all in any 
kind of trouble. 

O Lord, our waiting eyes are unto thee. 
Wilt thou hear the voice of our supplica- 
tion and give us an answer of peace, 
through thy mercy in Jesus Christ. Amen. 



FRIDAY EVENING. 35 

FRIDAY EVENING. 

The Lord looketh on the heart. 

Almighty God ! giver of life and of every 
good gift, day by day would we magnify 
thy name, and every night would we bear 
record of thy faithfulness. O Lord, how 
manifold are thy works ; in wisdom hast 
thou made them all. Thou art glorious in 
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders. 
Thy greatness is unsearchable. Thou hast 
set thy glory above the heavens, and thy 
truth reacheth unto the clouds; and thy 
mercy is from generation to generation. 
With awful veneration and profound rever- 
ence would we bow before thee, remem- 
bering the infinite distance there is between 
thee, the Eternal and All-wise, and crea- 
tures of yesterday, who know compara- 
tively nothing ; between a God of purity 
and goodness, and the erring and sinful 
children of men. But we rejoice that 



36 FRIDAY EVENING. 

through Jesus Christ we are encouraged to 
address thee by the endearing title of our 
Father in heaven. O give us some just 
views of thy character, that our homage 
may in some humble degree be worthy of 
thine acceptance. O may the praise and 
prayer of our lips be the dictates of our 
consciences and the emotions of our 
hearts. Give us a due sense of our condi- 
tion and wants, that Ave may ask of thee 
those things which are pleasing in thy 
sight. 

Parent of good ! thou hast nourished and 
brought us up as children. To thee we 
are indebted for the life that now is, and 
for the hope of a better life to come. We 
thank thee that thou hast never forsaken 
thine offspring, nor forgotten them, though 
they have so often forsaken and forgotten 
thee. We thank thee for the great love 
thou didst manifest to mankind, when they 
were sunk in error and sin. We thank 
thee, O God of grace, for that early promise 
and prophecy of a Saviour, in whom all 
nations should be blessed ; and that in the 



FRIDAY EVENING. 37 

fulness of time thou didst sanctify and send 
him into the world, to be the herald of glad 
tidings, the messenger of divine love, the 
teacher of divine truth, the exemplar of 
every Christian grace and virtue, and an 
all-sufficient Saviour. We thank thee for 
all that power, wisdom, and glory in which 
he was arrayed ; and that thou didst give 
thy spirit without measure unto him. We 
thank thee that thou wast with him in his 
labors and sufferings, that thou didst 
strengthen him in his agony, and sustain 
him on the cross. We thank thee for those 
attestations thou didst give, while he abode 
among men, and when he was expiring by 
crucifixion, that he was thy well-beloved 
Son in whom thy soul delighted. We 
thank thee, that by thy mighty power he 
burst the bands of death, that he triumphed 
over the grave, that he showed him- 
self alive to his followers after his passion, 
that he ascended into heaven, and that he 
is seated at thy right hand. 

Merciful God, give to each one of us a 
saving interest in his dying love. Make 



38 FRIDAY EVENING. 

each one of us a subject of this King of 
Zion. May we so possess and exhibit the 
power and spirit of his religion, that others 
shall take knowledge of us that we have 
been with Jesus, and have learnt of him 
who was meek and lowly in heart. May 
we walk as he walked. May we be willing 
to suffer and die for his sake and the gos- 
pel. And when the summons for our depar- 
ture out of the world shall come, in im- 
itation and in the faith of him, may we 
then, as we would now, exclaim, Father, 
into thy hands we commend our spirits, 
hoping in thy mercy through Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 



SATURDAY MORNING. 39 



SATURDAY MORNING. 

I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications, 
prayers, and intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made 
for all men. 

Heavenly Father ! we would feel it no 
less a privilege than a duty to pray. We 
would esteem it our highest pleasure to 
render to thee our morning and evening 
worship. Thou hast created us, and not 
we ourselves ; and it is to thy providence 
and bounty that we owe the continuance 
of our lives and the supply of our numer- 
ous wants from day to day. In thy hand 
are the soul of every living thing, and the 
breath of all mankind. All our springs of 
happiness are in thee. 

We rejoice that thou hast caused the day- 
spring from on high to visit us, and the Sun 
of Righteousness to rise upon us with heal- 
ing in his beams. We rejoice that we were 
born in a land of gospel light and freedom, 



40 SATURDAY MORNING. 

where thy name is known, thy word read 
and preached, and thine ordinances ob- 
served. We give glory to thee for what 
thy truth has already accomplished in the 
ages that are past ; we rejoice in the pros- 
pect of what it will accomplish in the 
generations to come. We thank thee for 
the hopes we are permitted to entertain of 
its universal spread and prevalence. O may 
such means be employed to evangelize the 
world, as shall prove effectual in bringing 
the millions of our fellow-beings, who are 
gone astray like lost sheep, into the arms 
of the good shepherd. 

May thy word soon be translated into 
every tongue and language, so that all 
nations and tribes of men shall be able to 
read the wonderful works of God. Gra- 
ciously remove those obstacles which now 
impede the progress of Christianity. May 
heathen superstitions give place to heavenly 
truth. Increase the number of those who 
will count all things loss, not only that they 
may win, but also that they may preach 
Christ. Give them an apostolic zeal ; 



SATURDAY MORNING. 41 

give them a martyr spirit ; sustain them 
in their arduous labors; cheer them in 
their discouragements ; give them a pru- 
dent mind, a sound judgment, a warm 
heart, a heaven-born charity, and an elo- 
quent tongue. 

While we pray for those in pagan darkness, 
we would not be forgetful of those in Chris- 
tian lands, who ridicule and contemn thy 
word, who disregard thine authority, and 
deny thine existence, and make a mock of 
sin. O wilt thou arrest the progress of in- 
fidelity, error, and vice. Soften the hard 
heart ; bend the stubborn will ; enlighten 
the bewildered mind ; alarm the guilty 
conscience ; and heal, gracious God, the 
sin-sick soul. 

We lament the discord and divisions that 
prevail among the disciples of Christ, spoil- 
ing that unity which should distinguish 
them, and marring the beauty of his church. 
O may prejudice, bitterness, and wrath, 
bigotry, intolerance, and uncharitableness 
be discountenanced and shunned by every 
follower of Jesus. May the various de- 



42 SATURDAY MORNING. 

nominations of Christians cultivate a spirit 
of peace and brotherly love toward one 
another. Let them not strive to have 
dominion over each others' faith, but to be 
helpers of each others' joy. While they 
earnestly contend for the faith once deliv- 
ered unto the saints, may they use no car- 
nal weapons in their spiritual warfare, but 
only such as are furnished for every soldier 
of the cross from the armory of God. 

God of the universe, we thank thee for 
that mild form of government under which 
we live. We pray for those who are in- 
trusted with the care of our national con- 
cerns, and who watch over our social wel- 
fare. May they fear God, hate injustice, 
oppression, and covetousness, and so fill 
their high stations as to reflect honor on 
themselves, and advance our civil interests. 

Father and Friend of mankind, and God 
of peace ! Wilt thou dispose thy children 
to subdue those desires and passions, 
whence come wars and fightings. May they 
all be bound together by fraternal and 
Christian ties, and know, by experience, 



SATURDAY MORNING. 43 

how good it is for brethren to dwell together 
in unity. 

Mercifully guide and guard each one of 
us through this and all our days ; and when 
time with us shall be no more, may we 
enjoy a blissful eternity ; which we ask 
through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. 
Amen. 



44 SATURDAY EVENING. 



SATURDAY EYENING. 



If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not 
hear me. 



O God, who hast preserved and fed us 
through another week ; we come before 
thee, as a family, in the name of thy dear 
Son, to acknowledge and praise thee. But 
when we call to remembrance thy mercies, 
we are reminded of our unworthiness and 
sins. O make us truly penitent ; and then 
restore us to thy favor. A broken and a 
contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 
Create in us a clean heart, and renew a 
right spirit within us. As we dread the 
consequences, so may we loathe the pleas- 
ures of sin. If in the closing week we 
have listened to the cravings of appetite, if 
we have yielded to furious passions, if we 
have indulged unholy desires, impure 
thoughts, inordinate affections, if we 
have wasted our time, neglected our op- 



SATURDAY EVENING. 45 

portunities to receive and to do good, if 
we have been unjust and unmerciful to our 
fellow-men, or disobedient and impious to 
our Maker j O convince us of our sinful- 
ness, and assist us to reform. Give us not 
up to a hardened heart and a seared con- 
science, but quicken us according to thy 
word. 

May we go to our rest in peace with thee, 
and in charity with all mankind. Thou hast 
saved us from the destruction that wasteth 
at noonday; wilt thou also save us from the 
pestilence that walketh in darkness. May 
we enjoy the repose that we need ; and 
shouldst thou bless us with the light of 
another of the days of the Son of Man, 
may we so employ the sacred season that 
it shall prove a time of refreshing from 
the Lord to each of our souls. May we 
duly appreciate and use all our advantages 
for moral and religious improvement ; and 
may our virtues and graces increase with 
our increasing age and knowledge. 

In our prayers we would remember the 
poor, the oppressed, the disconsolate, and 



46 SATURDAY EVENING. 

the dying. In their trials may they have 
the sympathies of good men, the comforts 
of true religion, and thy celestial aid. 

May those allied to us by birth, be born 
of God; may those, whom we account 
our friends, be friendly to religion and fol- 
lowers of Christ. And if we have any 
enemies, may our ways so please thee that 
thou wilt make them to be at peace with us. 

Grant, O God, that the gospel of thy 
Son may rule and sanctify the world. May 
the period arrive, when all men shall wor- 
ship thee, the everlasting Father, in spirit 
and in truth, and become the faithful fol- 
lowers of Jesus Christ ; through whom to 
thee be praise and glory forever. Amen. 



SUNDAY HORNING. 47 



SUNDAY MORNING. 

Sweet is the day of sacred rest ; 
No mortal cares shall seize my breast; 
may my heart in tune be found, 
Like David's harp of solemn sound. 

Infinitely great and glorious Lord, our 
God ! By thy kind care we have been 
preserved through the past night, and it is 
to thy mercy we owe the light of this sa- 
cred morning. We thank thee for this sea- 
son of rest from worldly toils, and of 
refreshment to our weary spirits. O may 
we rest from sin, and seriously employ the 
time in holy exercises and duties. Let not 
our advantages be neglected, our privile- 
ges disregarded, and thy mercies slighted. 
Supply our natural — supply our spiritual 
wants. 

May we this day be much in prayer, in 
careful self-examination, and in devout 
meditation. Incline us to consider our ways, 



48 SUNDAY MORNING. 

to confess and lament our sins, and sincerely 
to repent of them. May the day be blessed 
to the increase of our knowledge, to the 
strengthening of our faith, to the enliven- 
ing of our hope, to the quickening of our 
consciences, to the purifying of our hearts, 
to the chastening of our affections, to the 
elevating of our desires, and to the edify- 
ing of our souls. May we read thy word 
with earnest desires to know thy will and 
to be conformed to it, to know our duty 
and to do it. May we pray with the spirit 
and the understanding also. Turn off our 
eyes from beholding vanity. Keep us from 
grovelling, earthly thoughts, sinful asso- 
ciates, and idle conversation. 

If we are permitted to visit thy temple, 
may we do it with gladness and joy ; and 
in the courts of our God recount his mer- 
cies and speak his praise. Bless thy minis- 
tering servant, who shall guide oar devo- 
tions, and address us in thy name. May 
he come to us in the fulness of the gospel 
of peace. O may his instructions prove a 
word in season to each one of us. 



SUNDAY MORNING. 49 

Wilt thou, O God, regard in great mercy 
all thy worshipping assemblies this day. 
May many sinners be brought to true re- 
pentance, and be born from above. Give 
success to the cause of religion in this 
place. 

O God, who didst so love the world as 
to give thine only begotten Son, that who- 
soever believeth in him might not perish, 
but have everlasting life ; wilt thou send 
forth thy light and truth into all parts of 
the world, and illumine, sanctify, and save 
it. 

We pray for all the churches of our Lord 
and Saviour. May they be built up on the 
foundation of the prophets and apostles, 
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner- 
stone ; and may all their members be filled 
with all the fulness of God. 

O Lord, when we look upon pagan lands, 
and consider the many millions of thy 
children whose souls are darkened and 
deluded, we are ready to exclaim, The har- 
vest truly is great, and the laborers are 
few. O wilt thou send forth laborers into 



50 SUNDAY MORNING. 

thy harvest, and wilt thou crown their 
endeavours with success. Hear our prayer 
for all those who are preaching the gospel 
to heathen nations. May their lives and 
health be precious in thy sight ; and may the 
work of the Lord prosper in their hands. 

We invoke thy benediction on all our 
literary and humane institutions. We pray 
for those in captivity and bondage ; for all 
who travel by land or by water; for all in 
danger and tribulation. 

Regard with thy favor the land in which 
we live, and all our civil rulers. Give them 
wisdom to devise, and courage to pursue 
those measures which shall tend to the 
security and promotion of our best interests 
as a nation. 

Bring us to the close of the day in peace 
with thee, and with our own minds ; and 
when all our days on earth shall be num- 
bered and finished, wilt thou receive us into 
that glorious and happy rest which re- 
maineth unto the people of God ; which 
we ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen, 



SUNDAY EVENING. 51 



SUNDAY EYENING. 

Sweet is the work, my God, my King, 
To praise thy name, give thanks and sing ; 
To show thy love by morning light, 
And talk of all thy truth at night. 

O God, we would reverently and devout- 
ly draw nigh to thy throne of mercy, and 
worship thee as the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ ; and in his name would 
thank thee for the goodness that has 
crowned this day. We would own thy 
hand in all our temporal comforts ; but we 
desire especially to thank thee for those 
blessings which distinguish us as immortal 
beings and Christians. We thank thee that 
thou hast made us capable of virtue and 
holiness, and hast furnished us with means 
and motives to lead a moral and pious life. 
We thank thee for the glad tidings which 
thou hast published to the world by the gos- 
pel of Christ, and that our ears have heard 



52 SUNDAY EVENING. 

the joyful sound. We desire to be grateful 
to thee, that we have the day and means of 
grace, and the hopes of immortal glory ; 
that we have enjoyed the privileges of 
another Christian Sabbath ; that we have 
had repeated opportunities for reading thy 
word, for praising thy name, and presenting 
our petitions to thee ; that we have been 
permitted to worship thee, not only in secret 
and around our family altar, but also in thy 
temple. O may the prayers and praises, we 
have offered thee, find audience and accep- 
tance through a crucified Saviour. May 
the instructions of thine house have a salu- 
tary influence on us through the week. 
May the good impressions which have been 
made or revived be lasting ; may the holy 
resolutions we have formed or strengthened 
be carried into practice. And O wilt thou 
pardon the sins of our holy things. If our 
devotions have been languid and lifeless ; 
if our thoughts have been wandering and 
worldly ; if our desires have been earthly 
and sensual, our minds inattentive, our 
hearts cold, our consciences dull and stu- 



SUNDAY EVENING. 53 

pid, our service formal and unmeaning ; 
O touch us with a sense of our guilt, and 
lead us to repentance. 

May those of us, who have owned Jesus 
Christ, live by faith in him, and bear a moral 
resemblance to him. As the branches are 
united to the vine, so may we be united to 
Christ ; and may the discipline of thy pro- 
vidence, and showers of divine grace cause 
us to yield much fruit to thy glory. And 
if any of us are yet out of Christ, may 
we be brought to see and feel our condition. 

May those of us, who are parents, feel 
our obligations to train up our offspring for 
thy service ; and may children early be 
taught the fear of the Lord. 

May all who repose beneath this roof be 
the objects of thy care and favor. 

We would sympathise with the poor, the 
suffering, and the afflicted ; wilt thou sup- 
ply their various wants out of thine infinite 
fulness. 

We pray for the progress of the gospel, 
for the dissemination of Christian truth, and 
for the diffusion of celestial light. May thy 



54 SUNDAY EVENING. 

church be purified and enlarged, till all 
nations shall know, receive, and obey the 
truth. We pray for the ministers of our 
holy religion. O may they be faithful to 
thee, and to the souls of men ; and may 
their labors be blessed. We beseech thee 
to regard in mercy all heathen lands, and 
all missionaries who have gone forth to turn 
them from superstition and idolatry to the 
worship of thee, the true God. 

We pray for all who are persecuted for 
righteousness' sake, and for all in any kind 
of bondage. O God may the time soon 
come, when intemperance, war, persecu- 
tion, and slavery shall be brought to a per- 
petual end. Direct and bless all in author- 
ity over us. 

Wilt thou give us secure and quiet re- 
pose, and when we awake may we rejoice 
in thy morning mercies. Hear us, O Lord, 
in these our prayers, through Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 



MONDAY MORNING. 55 



v MONDAY MORNING. 

The Lord is nigh unto all that call upon him ; to all 
that call upon him in truth. 

O Lord of heaven and of earth ! thou 
art our Father. May we have the disposi- 
tions of thy children. Thou art our God ; 
may we worship thee aright; thou art our 
Sovereign ; may we be submissive to thy 
will ; thou art our lawgiver ; may we 
yield obedience to all thy commands. O 
may we do nothing to dishonor thee nor to 
degrade ourselves. May we find our pleas- 
ure in pleasing thee, our delight in keeping 
thy statutes, our happiness in subjecting our 
wills to thine. May all that is beautiful 
and sublime in nature remind us of thine 
adorable perfections. May all the goodness 
we see displayed around us lead our 
thoughts to thee, the centre and sum of all 
good. We would rejoice in that happiness 
which we witness diffused about us, as well 



56 MONDAY MORNING. 

as in that of which we are partakers. Let 
us not be insensible to thy favors, nor over- 
look thee the giver in thy multiplied gifts. 

In all the business of life may we act as 
moral, accountable, and immortal beings. 
May we be guided by Christian principles, 
and influenced by Christian motives. In 
the pursuit of honor, wealth, or enjoyment, 
may we employ no means which thou wilt 
not approve and bless. May we form no 
purpose, may we engage in no work, on 
which we cannot implore thy benediction. 

Assist us to make all that moral and men- 
tal improvement of which our nature is 
susceptible, and to attain to that degree of 
happiness for which we were designed. Give 
us a lively concern not only for our own 
welfare, but also for that of others. May 
we cultivate our social powers and affec- 
tions ; and, according to our ability and 
means, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, 
relieve the oppressed, instruct the ignorant, 
admonish the thoughtless; in the name 
of Christ promoting the comfort, and di- 
minishing the cares of our fellow-men. 



MONDAY MORNING. 57 

May thy power and wisdom be with us, 
and thy blessing be upon us this day. Hear 
our supplications for all mankind. Build up 
all churches in the faith and discipline of 
the gospel. Supply them with pastors 
after thine own heart. May those, who 
teach, be taught of God; may those, who 
hear, hear as those that expect to give ac- 
count to God. Convey the means of grace 
and the hopes of salvation to all men. May 
error and sin, discord and strife, cease ; and 
may truth and holiness, harmony and love, 
have universal and perpetual dominion 
throughout the world. Save us from 
national sins and national calamities ; and 
wilt thou, who wast the God of our fathers, 
be our friend and portion forever ; which 
we ask in the name and as disciples of 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 



58 MONDAY EVENING. 



MONDAY EVENING. 

He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, 
even his prayer shall be abomination. 

Almighty God, who seest in secret ; 
when we attempt to worship thee, may we 
be mindful of thine all-pervading presence, 
and that thou requirest truth in the inward 
part. Thou hast carried us out and brought 
us in in safety. We are witnesses for thee 
that thou art good and gracious. O may 
our spared lives be devoted to thee. O 
may our continued powers be employed in 
thy service. Whatever we have done this 
day according to thy will, wilt thou accept ; 
and whatever we have done contrary to 
thy law, wilt thou pardon. May we often 
consider our ways, examine our conduct, 
and scrutinize our hearts. Of whatever 
else we are ignorant, may we know our- 
selves and our condition, and have just 
views of our relations to thee. May our 



MONDAY EVENING. 59 

appetites and passions be controlled by- 
reason, and may our reason be guided by 
thy word. 

We thank thee for all those blessings we 
enjoy as individuals and as a family. May 
nothing spoil our peace, nor dissolve our 
union. May ours be a family of prayer, a 
household of faith ; and may we so improve 
in every grace, that, when separated by 
death, we may again be united in a better 
world. 

Thou art now drawing around us the 
shades of night ; may they remind us of 
the shadow of death, which must ere long 
overspread us. By the darkness that hangs 
over the world thou art hiding it from our 
view ; may it lead us to reflect how soon 
we must close our eyes on temporal and 
terrestrial objects forever. When we lay 
our garments by and recline on our pillow, 
may we consider that we must ere long be 
wrapt in our shroud and make our bed in 
the grave. O teach us so to live, that death 
may be to us disarmed of its terrors and the 
grave of its victory. O may we die the 



60 MONDAY EVENING. 

death of the righteous, and our end be like 
his ; and may this desire lead us to live 
sober, righteous, and pious lives. Give to 
us thy holy spirit, guide us with thy right 
hand, and afterward receive us to glory. 

Vouchsafe to each one of us thy protec- 
tion in our season of rest ; and, if it seem 
good to thee, awake us to the joys and 
duties of another day. 

Be with all who are desolate and op- 
pressed. May all who labor and are heavy 
laden come to Christ. Enlarge the Chris- 
tian church ; purify it from all false doc- 
trine and all sinful practice. Bless the 
religious society with which we are con- 
nected, and thy servant who ministers to 
us in holy things. May his labors be abun- 
dantly blessed. 

Hear our supplications for our country, 
and for all who watch over our national 
welfare. Thou hast distinguished us by 
privileges; may we be distinguished by 
our obedience to thee, and by our love to 
one another. 



MONDAY EVENING. 61 

Extend the blessings of truth, liberty, 
and peace to all mankind ; and may thy 
kingdom come and thy will be done, as in 
heaven, so on earth ; which we ask in the 
name of our ascended Lord and Saviour. 
Amen. 



62 TUESDAY MORNING. 



TUESDAY MORNING. 

Awake, my soul ! and, with the sun, 

Thy daily stage of duty run ; 
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise 

To pay thy morning sacrifice. 

O Thou who reignest in heaven above, 
and on earth beneath, who hast been our 
kind protector while we slept, and hast 
visited us with thy morning mercies, we 
would in the name of Jesus Christ draw 
nigh to thee, with reverence for thy supreme 
majesty, with humility for our unworthi- 
ness, but with confidence in thy promises 
and hope in thy word. We rejoice that 
we are still the objects of thy paternal 
care, that our health and comforts are still 
continued to us, that we have been per- 
mitted to participate in thy bounty, to read 
thy holy word, and now to approach a 
throne of grace. 

God of our life and lengthener of our 
days, we commend our bodies and souls 



TUESDAY MORNING. 63 

to thee. Watch over our lives, direct us 
in the path of duty, and make us instru- 
ments of usefulness in the world. In all 
our ways may we acknowledge thee. In 
all we do may we glorify thy name. Help 
us to remember that we are immortal and 
accountable beings. Dispose us by thy 
grace to set our affections on things above ; 
and may we, when the time of our depar- 
ture is at hand, have for our joy the testi- 
mony of conscience, that in simplicity 
and godly sincerity we have had our con- 
versation in the world. While we dwell 
on earth, may our conversation be in 
heaven ; and when we shall close our eyes 
on the scenes of time, may they behold in 
joyful fruition the scenes of eternity. 

Deliver us from all moral evil ; and help 
us to endure all other evils that fall to our 
lot, as seeing thee who art invisible. 

Bestow thy favors upon our relatives and 
friends according to their need. Supply 
the wants of the poor, heal the sick 3 
soothe the heart that is filled with anguish, 
illumine the mind that is bewildered with 



64 TUESDAY MORNING. 

error, and reclaim those who have gone 
astray from thee. Prosper the cause of 
pure and undefiled religion. May a bright- 
er day dawn on thy church, when all men 
shall become followers of Jesus, and all 
Christians shall love one another ; when 
all on earth, as well as all in heaven, shall 
join in ascriptions of praise, and thanksgiv- 
ing, and honor, and glory, to him that sitteth 
on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and 
ever. Amen. 



TUESDAY EVENING. 65 



TUESDAY EVENING. 

When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught 
against any; that your Father also which is in heaven 
may forgive you your trespasses. 

Our Father who art in heaven, wilt 
thou draw nigh to each one of us by thy 
grace and spirit, while we attempt to draw 
nigh to thee by prayer and devotion. 
Through him who is the light of the world, 
and the way and the truth and the life, 
would we seek access to a throne of mercy. 
Through him wilt thou accept our tribute 
of praise for thy patience and gentleness 
towards us till now ; and through him wilt 
thou listen to our prayer. Whatever thine 
eye hath seen that is wrong in our temper 
and behaviour this day, wilt thou pardon. 
We would acknowledge our transgressions ; 
we would be sorry for our sins. Help us 
to break them off by repentance, and our 
iniquities by turning to the Lord. 
p 



66 TUESDAY EVENING. 

May we employ our time, our talents, 
our worldly substance, our religious oppor- 
tunities, and our influence, in conformity 
to thy will. We know our time is short ; O 
may we redeem it. We know that the 
fashion of this world passeth away ; let us 
not give it our thoughts and desires. And 
may we, as strangers and sojourners on the 
earth, mortify and subdue those lusts and 
passions which war against the soul. 

So teach us to number our days that we 
may apply our hearts unto wisdom ; and so 
to occupy every talent committed to our 
trust that we may finally give up our 
account to thee with joy and not with 
grief. 

May no evil befall us while asleep ; and 
should our eyes behold another rising sun, 
may our hearts in devotion again rise to 
thee, remembering that all our blessings are 
dispensed by thy hand. 

We supplicate thy blessing, O God, on 
all our connexions ; on our country and its 
rulers ; on our churches and their pastors : 
on our schools and colleges, and those who 



.TUESDAY EVENING. 67 

instruct and govern them. May those in 
darkness see thy heavenly light ; may those 
in tribulation have thine all-sufficient and 
ready help ; and may all those who are in 
any kind of bondage be brought into the 
liberty of the sons of God. These our 
supplications we present to thee, through 
our glorious Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



68 WEDNESDAY MORNING. 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 

If any man be a worshipper of God, and doth his will, 
him he heareth. 

O Thou who dwellest in the heavens, 
whose power none can withstand, whose 
wisdom none can fathom, and who art good 
unto all ! We would adore, we would 
praise, and worship thee. Holy and rever- 
end is thy name. Thy sceptre is a sceptre 
of righteousness ; thy commandment is pure ; 
thy law is just. Watchful is thy provi- 
dence which takes care of us ; unfailing is 
thy bounty ; great are thy tender mercies. 
Open our eyes, that we may behold won- 
drous things out of thy law. 

Thanks be unto thee, O Lord, for the 
safety and repose of the past night, and for 
the cheering light of this morning. Since 
it has pleased thee to spare us to begin 
another day, dispose us to spend it in thy 
fear and in thy service. May we be faith- 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 69 

ful in the discharge of the duties we owe 
to one another and to thee. May we be 
sober and watch unto prayer. May we be 
temperate in all things, and let our modera- 
tion be known unto all men. May we be 
diligent to make our calling and election 
sure, and be ready to every good word and 
work. 

Impart to each one of us such blessings as 
we severally need. Make thy grace suf- 
ficient for us in all our temptations and 
trials. Give us such views of the odious- 
ness and ruinous consequences of sin, that 
we shall hate and avoid it : such views of 
the beauty and importance of holiness, that 
we shall desire and seek it. May thy works 
fill us with admiration, and thy goodness 
to us excite our gratitude. Prepare us for 
the events, and direct us in the duties of 
this day. 

Bless those who are near and dear to us. 
Let thy blessing rest upon all the families 
of this town. May every house be a house 
of prayer, and every heart a meet residence 
of thy holy spirit. O may sinners be per- 



70 WEDNESDAY MORNING. 

suaded to repent ; and may professing Chris- 
tians abound more and more in all goodness. 
Be near to all the sons and daughters of 
sorrow. Bind up the broken heart; heal 
the wounded spirit ; and soothe the troubled 
mind. 

O God, who hast taught us to make 
prayers and intercessions for all men, we 
beseech thee to extend thy favors to all 
mankind. Endue those, who make our laws 
and direct our national concerns, with those 
virtues which shall qualify them for their 
important offices. Bless our schools and 
seminaries of learning, and all those associ- 
ations which are formed for the instruction 
of the ignorant, for the relief of the dis- 
tressed, and the reformation of the vicious 
and sinful. We would remember before 
thee the missionaries of the cross, who have 
gone into distant lands to preach Christ 
crucified. Preserve them amid the dangers 
to which they are exposed, and make them 
successful in diffusing the light of the gos- 
pel. O give thy Son the heathen for his 
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 71 

earth for his possession ; and may all na- 
tions walk in the light of the Lord. These 
our devotions we present to thee, O Father, 
through thine only begotten Son, our 
Saviour. Amen. 



72 WEDNESDAY EVENING. 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 

Glory to thee, our God, this night, 
For all the blessings of the light ; 
Keep us, O keep us, King of kings, 
Beneath thine own almighty wings. 

O Lord our God ! gracious and merciful, 
slow to anger, abundant in goodness and 
truth ; we bless thee for all our domestic 
comforts, for all our social joys, for all our 
friendly ties, for all our religious privileges, 
and for all our heavenly hopes. 

Though there be that are called gods 
many, and lords many, yet we acknowl- 
edge but one God, even the Father, and one 
Lord, Jesus Christ. 

We thank thee for our intellectual and 
moral powers, and for all the means of 
knowledge, virtue, and happiness with 
which we are furnished. O let not thy 
favors be lost upon us. Assist us so to em- 
ploy our day of probation, that we shall be 
prepared for the hour of death and the day 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 73 

of judgment. May we so spend the fleet- 
ing moments of time, that we shall enjoy 
the countless ages of eternity. Dispose 
each of us to search and try our ways ; 
to compare them with the requirements of 
thy word and the example of thy Son. 
Let not sin have dominion over us. Give 
us thy quickening spirit, and lay upon us 
thy restraining grace. O that we might 
awake to righteousness, and be alive to 
God. May we be clothed with heavenly 
armor ; may we have the shield of faith, 
the breastplate of righteousness, the sword 
of the spirit, and for an helmet the hope 
of salvation. May we strive manfully and 
lawfully; and so run the Christian race 
that we may obtain a crown of life. 

We desire now and at all times to praise 
thee, O Lord, for the gift of thy dear Son. 
We desire to exercise unfeigned gratitude 
to Jesus Christ for all that he hath done, 
taught, and suffered, to bring us peace and 
hope on earth, and to open to us the king- 
dom of heaven. May we remember his 
word and works, observe his ordinances 



74 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 



and precepts, and have the same mind 
which was also in him. 

Spread over us the wings of thy protec- 
tion while our senses are locked in sleep. 
Keep us from danger, and our souls and 
bodies in health. 

While we live, may we live to the Lord ; 
and when we die, may we inherit the bles- 
sedness of those who die in the Lord. 

Bless all for whom we should pray. Im- 
part light to the morally blind ; awake to 
newness of life those who are spiritually 
dead. O may thy truth convince and per- 
suade those, who deny thee and renounce 
the gospel, to become children of God and 
disciples of Jesus. Feed the hungry, clothe 
the naked. Give patience to those exer- 
cised with pain, submission to the afflicted, 
and to the dying a faith and hope which 
shall bring their immortal souls into heav- 
enly mansions. 

May we remember that this is not our 
rest. O that we might live near thee now, 
that we may dwell with thee hereafter ! 
To this end wilt thou multiply grace, mer- 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 75 

cy, and peace unto us from thee, the Father, 
and from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 



76 THURSDAY MORNING. 



THURSDAY MORNING. 

I will, therefore, that men pray everywhere, lifting; 
up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 

O Lord, our heavenly Father, we be- 
seech thee, through Christ our Mediator 
and Saviour, to give us thy holy spirit to 
awaken and guide our devotions, so that 
they may edify us, and be acceptable to 
thee. 

Thou hast been our preserver during 
the defenceless hours of sleep, and now 
thou art granting us the comforts of another 
morning. We would begin the day with 
a deep sense of our dependence on thee. 
Strengthen us for its duties, support us 
under its trials, and prepare us for its 
events. Dispose us to employ our time 
and influence in such a manner as to 
benefit mankind and glorify thee. Make 
us wise to that which is good, and give us 
the understanding to depart from evil. In 
our care for our temporal, let us not over- 



THURSDAY MORNING. 77 

look our spiritual welfare. In making pro- 
vision for the life that now is, let us not 
forget that which is to come. Keep us in 
the knowledge and fear of thee all the day- 
long. Make us diligent and faithful in our 
respective callings and stations. May we 
walk uprightly before both God and man. 
If we are tempted, suffer us not to yield ; 
but enable us to resist the temptation. If 
we are troubled, may a sense of thy pres- 
ence give us tranquillity of soul. 

Bring us to the close of the day in health 
of body, peace of conscience, and grateful 
for thy continued goodness. May we spend 
the day as we shall wish we had spent it, 
when we come to die. O prepare each 
one of us by repentance, by faith, by hope, 
and charity, for a happy death. 

To our prayers for ourselves we join our 
intercessions for all our fellow-beings. Sup- 
ply their wants ; and guide them into a 
saving knowledge of thy truth as it is in 
Jesus, by whom Ave render to thee worship 
and praise forever. Amen. 



78 THURSDAY EVENING. 



THURSDAY EVENING. 

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that 
giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not ; and it 
shall be given him ; but let him ask in faith, nothing 
wavering. 

O God, who art the author of our being 
and the source of all good, Ave corne before 
thee this evening to offer up our tribute of 
thanksgiving and praise for thy providence 
in guarding our lives, and for thy bounty 
in supplying our wants to the present mo- 
ment. We would acknowledge our entire 
dependence on thee for all we enjoy, and 
for all we desire. We would not approach 
thee in our own name, for we are unwor- 
thy ; but in the name of thy Son, in whom 
thou art ever well pleased. Incline each 
one of us to exercise true repentance for 
our sins ; so that we may obtain thy par- 
doning mercy. Give us thy holy spirit to 
help our infirmities, and to guide us in the 
way of thy commandments. Impress us 



THURSDAY EVENING. 79 

with a deep sense of the importance' of 
religion, of the worth of our souls, of our 
need of thy grace and mercy; and O that 
we might all become the children of God 
by a living faith in Jesus Christ. 

Bless all the members of this family, and 
all the inhabitants of this town. Satisfy 
the wants of the poor and needy. Give 
patience and returning health to the sick, 
or prepare them for an exchange of worlds. 
Comfort the sorrowful. Convert the uncon- 
verted. Edify thy children. Prosper the 
cause of religion. Let not the powerful 
oppress the weak ; nor the rich trample 
upon the poor ; nor the learned despise the 
ignorant ; nor the young treat with irrever- 
ence and neglect the aged. Save those in 
high stations from pride and vain-glory; 
and those in the humbler walks of life from 
envy and discontent. May all thy children 
understand their relations to one another, 
and to thee their common Father. 

Be our guardian through the night. 
Grant us the repose that our wearied nature 
requires ; and, if it please thee, awake us 



80 THURSDAY EVENING. 

in the morning with renovated powers of 
body and mind, and with earnest desires to 
spend the day in the performance of our 
duties. May we remember how soon the 
night of death will come. O may we all 
so live, that we may sleep in Jesus, and in 
the morning of the resurrection wake to 
immortal life of joy and glory ; all which 
we ask through our risen and ascended 
Saviour. Amen. 



FRIDAY MORNING. 81 



FRIDAY MORNING. 

And in the morning rising up a great while before 
day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and 
there prayed. 

All-wise and ever blessed God, who 
hast caused another morning's light to 
shine upon us in peace and safety ; we 
would, as a family, as thy children, and as 
believers in thy Son, surround our domes- 
tic altar, and, with hearts penetrated by 
thy goodness, bring thee the offering of 
prayer and devotion. May this be no 
unmeaning service to any one of us ; but 
may it delight our souls and refresh our 
spirits. Let us not pay thee a cold, a for- 
mal, and lifeless homage ; but may the grat- 
itude we express by the language of our 
lips be also expressed in our actions and 
lives. 

Accept our praise for all thou hast 
done for us by nature and by grace ; 
for all thou hast done for our perishing 

G 



82 



FRIDAY MORNING. 



bodies and our imperishable souls. We 
thank thee for the glorious gospel ; and for 
those messages of love and mercy thou 
hast conveyed to an ignorant and sinful 
world through a crucified Saviour. Omay 
we diligently hearken to the words of him 
whom thou hearest always. May we sin- 
cerely and constantly love him in whom 
thou art well pleased. May we delight to 
honor him whom thou hast highly exalted. 
May we make him our pattern who did no 
sin, and did all things well. May we be 
united to him by a pure affection, a lively 
faith, and a willing obedience. In his name 
we supplicate thy spirit to mould our souls 
into the moral image of Christ. 

We know not the events of a single 
day — whether joys or sorrows are before 
us ; but we would keep in memory that in 
the midst of life we are in death. Prepare 
us to do and suffer all thy will with sub- 
mission and fortitude. Give us such a 
measure of temporal prosperity as shall be 
most conducive to our eternal welfare. 



FRIDAY MORNING. 83 

Bless all our neighbours and connexions. 
Make the land in which we live more and 
more a land of light, liberty, and peace ; a 
home for the stranger and friendless; an 
asylum for the oppressed. May all our 
schools of learning be nurseries of piety 
and virtue. Succour the tempted, sustain 
the tried, deliver those in peril. Guide the 
young in the forming period of their life, 
and support with thy merciful arm those 
stricken in years. 

If it please thee, continue our life, 
health, and comforts till the evening, and 
then bring us together again to unite in 
worshipping thee ; and whenever thou shalt 
take us out of the world, O wilt thou 
receive us into everlasting habitations. 

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, 
invisible, the only wise God, through 
Jesus Christ, be all glory and praise for- 
ever. Amen. 



84 FRIDAY EVENING. 



FRIDAY EVENING. 

Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall 
find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 

Parent of all mankind, and of all mer- 
cies ; we acknowledge ourselves the crea- 
tures of thy hand, the subjects of thy 
government, and the pensioners on thy 
bounty. Thy paternal goodness has fol- 
lowed us, not only this, but all our days. 
By thy providence we are spared, and per- 
mitted again to approach thee in the 
exercises of devotion. 

God of mercy, wilt thou show us 
thy mercy in pardoning our transgres- 
sions, in inclining our hearts to repent- 
ance, and to obey thy commandments. 
May we have that godly sorrow for sin 
which worketh life and peace. May we 
make it our great and earnest endeavour 
to live a sober, righteous, and pious life ; 
to gain and keep the ascendancy over our 
appetites, desires, and passions ; and what- 



FRIDAY EVENING, 85 

ever we do, in word or deed, to do all in 
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks 
to God, even the Father, by him. May those 
of us who have professed our faith in him 
so exhibit it in our tempers and characters, 
as to commend it to others. And if any of 
us are still living without hope and with- 
out God in the world, O wilt thou, by the 
matchless energy of thy spirit, open our 
eyes to see, and soften our hearts to feel 
our condition ; and give us such convic- 
tions of sin as shall result in our conver- 
sion, and in our obtaining a good hope of 
pardon, sanctification, and complete redemp- 
tion. Wilt thou adapt thy favors to our 
respective ages, characters, and wants. 
May we prove mutual comforts and bles- 
sings to each other. 

Defend us and our dwelling from all 
danger this night. We would feel that 
we are not our own keepers, and would 
with filial dispositions rely on thy watch- 
ful care and thy protecting power. If 
another day be added to our lives, may it 
be consecrated to thee. If this night is to 



86 FRIDAY EVENING. 

be our last, O may a joyful resurrection 
morning dawn on our departing spirits. 
Whether living or dying may we be thine. 

We pray for the interests of religion, 
for the society of which we are members, 
and for the pastor who watches over our 
spiritual welfare. Behold in mercy all the 
families of this place. Be nigh unto all 
who call upon thee in trouble. Be gra- 
ciously nigh to the sick and sorrowful 
around us. 

Our heart's desire and prayer to thee, O 
God, is, that all may come to the knowl- 
edge of the truth and be saved. Extend 
the social and religious advantages we en- 
joy to all nations, and may all men be 
brought to know thee, the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent : to 
whom be praise forever. Amen. 



SATURDAY MORNING. 87 



SATURDAY MORNING. 

Whatsoever ye do, in word or deed, do all in the name 
of the Lord Jesus ; giving thanks to God, even the Father, 
by him. 

O Lord, our heavenly Father, we would 
come unto thee, persuaded that to know 
thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ 
whom thou hast sent, is life eternal. We 
desire now, and at all times, to exercise a 
living faith in thee and in thy Son, and 
through him to offer our prayers and inter- 
cessions, and to give thee the glory and 
homage that are due to thy great name. 

O thou maker and preserver of men ! 
Thou unsealest the eyelids of the morning, 
and thou hast opened our eyes to behold 
the light of another day. Thou takest care 
of all thy creatures. Thou satisfiest the 
wants of every living thing. So watchful 
is thine eye, so careful is thy providence, 
that without thee not a sparrow falleth to 
the ground, and the hairs of our head are 



88 SATURDAY MORNING. 

all numbered. O may we trust in thee at 
all times, and may thy wisdom guide us 
in the way of holiness. Strengthen and 
make us faithful in the duties, fortify us 
against the temptations, support us under 
the trials, and rescue us from the dangers 
of this day. May we cherish a deep sense 
of thy presence and inspection, so that we 
shall fear to offend, and seek to please thee. 
May we so spend the day, that we can re- 
view it without shame or remorse. In all 
our prosperity may we be grateful to thee, 
and generously remember those who are 
destitute. In all our adversity may we be 
patient and resigned, and cast our care 
upon thee. 

Bless us as individuals and as a family. 
Strengthen and hallow the ties that bind 
us together. May we study to promote 
each others' virtue and happiness. If any 
of us are as yet without a saving faith and 
a holy hope, O wilt thou by thy grace and 
spirit convince and convert us, and bring 
our souls into a state of peace and salva- 
tion. 



SATURDAY MORNING. 89 

Bless oar friends and neighbours, our 
rulers, and the ministers of the gospel. 
Look with favor upon all the churches 
of our Lord and Saviour. Wilt thou re- 
move from them all false doctrine ; and 
may they be found walking in the truth, 
and in all the commandments and ordi- 
nances of the Lord blameless. Extend the 
influences of Christianity, till all nations 
shall know thy name, and every heart re- 
joice in thy mercy. 

Pardon. O Lord, our sins, and keep us 
in the love and service of thee this day. 
Now may grace, mercy, and peace descend 
upon each one of us from thee, the Father, 
through Jesus Christ. Amen. 



90 SATURDAY EVENING. 



SATURDAY EVENING. 

Safely through another week 
God has brought us on our way; 

Let us now a blessing seek 
On the approaching Sabbath day. 

O God, who art a spirit, and seekest such 
to worship thee as will worship thee in 
spirit and in truth, teach us to render thee 
that true and spiritual worship which will 
be acceptable in thy sight. We would 
account it our highest privilege and chief 
joy to hold communion with thee by ado- 
ration and prayer. May these exercises 
enkindle our love, confirm our faith, and 
strengthen our virtuous resolutions. May 
the duties of religion never become tire- 
some and uninteresting to us. May we 
consider them as our life. O make each 
one of us deeply sensible of the worth of 
our souls, and of our need of that salvation 
which thou hast offered to us through the 



SATURDAY EVENING. 91 

mediation of thy Son. Grant us, O God, 
thy quickening, thy restraining, and thy 
saving grace. Help us to make daily im- 
provement in knowledge, piety, and virtue. 
May we dread nothing so much as thy 
displeasure ; may we desire nothing so 
much as thine approbation and blessing. 
Dispose us to imitate thee in all thine 
imitable perfections, and mould us into 
a moral likeness of him who was holy 
and harmless, and in whom thou art well 
pleased. Endue us with every Christian 
grace, clothe us with the robes of evangel- 
ical righteousness, and make us persevere 
in well-doing to the end of our course. 

We thank thee, O our Father, for the 
protection and bounty of the closing day 
and week; for the privilege of reading thy 
word, and bringing our evening sacrifice to 
thee. Pardon whatever has been wrong in 
our dispositions and practice ; and accept 
whatever thou hast seen of good in our 
desires and endeavours. 

We are still dependent on thy care and 
grace. Preserve us while we sleep ; and 



92 SATURDAY EVENING. 

if it be thy will that our eyes behold the 
light of another sacred morning, dispose us 
to enter upon its duties with a fervent and 
Christian spirit. 

We pray for our friends and benefactors ; 
may we never prove false nor ungrateful 
to them. We pray for those bound to us 
by kindred ties ; may they share largely in 
thy favors, and be thine by adoption. We 
pray for the church and congregation with 
which we are connected, and for him who 
labors in the work of the ministry among 
us. Wilt thou succeed the means of grace 
we enjoy ; and may pure religion here pre- 
vail and flourish. Enlighten the darkened 
mind, direct and relieve the anxious soul, 
and send thy peace into the troubled heart. 
Comfort those who mourn, supply those 
who are needy, restore those who are peni- 
tent, reclaim those who are sinful, and 
hasten the time when all who are in bond- 
age shall be made free ; when from all 
nations and from all hearts there shall 
ascend unto thee incense and a pure offer- 
ing through Jesus Christ; to whom be 
praise forever. Amen. 



MORNING PRAYER. 93 



MORNING PRAYER. 

Thrice happy souls, who, born from heaven, 

While yet they sojourn here, 
Do all their days with God begin, 

And spend them in his fear. 

Our Father, who art in heaven ! who 
hast been our guardian while we slept, and 
hast awakened us to behold and enjoy the 
light of this morning, we would, through 
Jesus Christ, present our bodies and souls 
to thee a living sacrifice, holy and accept- 
able, which is our reasonable service. 

We thank thee for the privilege of again 
consulting the oracles of eternal truth. O 
may we not be forgetful hearers, but doers 
of thy word ; remembering that not the 
hearers, but the doers of thy law are justi- 
fied. 

Remembering our frailties and imperfec- 
tions, may we watch and pray, lest we fall 
into temptation. Grant that in all our 
business in life, and in all our intercourse 



94 MORNING PRAYER. 

with the world, we may act with a wise 
reference to our everlasting good and to 
thy glory. Give us those daily mercies 
which thou seest that we need ; and with- 
hold from us all those things which would 
draw our affections from thee. Give to us 
a pure heart, a good conscience, a sober 
and well-disposed mind, a faith unfeigned, 
and a zeal according to knowledge. May 
we hate and shun every false way, and do 
that which is pleasing in thy sight. Sup- 
port us under every burden, sustain us un- 
der every trial, and direct us in every duty. 
Let us not be flattered by the smiles, nor 
disheartened by the frowns of the world. 
Let us never trust in uncertain riches, nor 
put that confidence in man, which is due 
to thee alone. Dispose us to deal justly, 
to love mercy, and walk humbly with thee, 
our God. Inspire us with such a dread of 
thy judgments, and such a grateful sense 
of thy goodness to us, that we shall at all 
times be both ashamed and afraid to offend 
thee. Wilt thou rescue us from every 
threatening danger, and keep us by thy 



MORNING PRAYER. 95 

mighty power through faith unto salva- 
tion. 

We invoke thy blessing on all our en- 
deavours to know and do thy will. In 
whatever circumstances we may be placed, 
wilt thou shield and guide us. 

Bless all the inhabitants of this town. 
Are any poor, wilt thou supply their 
wants. Are any sick, wilt thou grant 
them healing mercies. Are any afflicted, 
wilt thou give them the oil of joy for their 
mourning, and the garment of praise for 
their spirit of heaviness. Are any deceived 
by error, and sunk in sin, wilt thou irradi- 
ate their minds with celestial light, and 
change their hearts by thy renewing grace. 
Are any seeking the way of truth and 
salvation, wilt thou lift upon them the 
light of thy countenance and grant them 
peace. Bless our beloved country; and 
from the rising of the sun unto the going 
down of the same, may thy name be great 
among the gentiles ; and in every land 
may incense arise to thee, and a pure 
offering, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



96 EVENING PRAYER. 



EVENING PRAYER. 

Thus far the Lord has led us on ; 

Thus far his power prolongs our days ; 
And every evening shall make known 

Some fresh memorials of his grace. 

Almighty God, as by the thick shades 
of evening thou art concealing worldly 
objects from our view, so wilt thou call 
off our wandering thoughts from worldly 
and distracting cares, and help us to bring 
our hearts and souls into the service in 
which we are now engaged. May we re- 
member, that, though man regardeth the 
outward appearance, the Lord looketh on 
the heart ; that with thee, words without 
works, profession without practice, forms 
of godliness without its spirit and substance, 
are of no avail ; that thou requirest not 
the bended knee, but the lowly mind and 
the submissive will — not the tearful eye 
and disfigured face, but the humble spirit 
and the contrite heart. 



EVENING PRAYER. 97 

We thank thee, merciful Father, for 
those revelations which thou hast made to 
mankind, and in which thou hast unfolded 
thy character and purposes, and taught us 
what thou requirest of us that we may- 
please thee and be happy forever. We 
thank thee for the gospel of peace and 
reconciliation, which thou hast published 
to the world by thine only begotten Son. 
In him, whether waking or sleeping, living 
or dying, may we be found. 

Spare us to witness the dawning of 
another day, if it please thee. We ask not 
for a short nor a long, but a useful and 
pious life. We ask not for worldly wealth 
and honors ; but that we may be made 
heirs of a heavenly inheritance, and be 
known as the followers of Jesus, and the 
friends of God. Shouldst thou visit' us 
with sickness, may our souls still be in 
health ; and should our outward man per- 
ish, may our inward man be renewed day 
by day. 

Let us not envy, but compassionate sin- 
ners. Let not our eye be evil towards 

H 



98 EVENING PRAYER. 

those above us, nor scornful towards those 
below us. May virtuous examples excite 
our emulation, may scenes of vice fill us 
with abhorrence and grief. May the good 
encourage our piety, and may the wicked 
serve as beacons to guard us from sin. 
May we rejoice with those who are prospe- 
rous, and sympathise with the afflicted. 
Give us just and enlarged views of all the 
relations we sustain to our fellow-beings, 
and prompt us to discharge the duties which 
grow out of them with fidelity and zeal. 
Keep us ever mindful of our connexion 
not only with time, but also with eternity ; 
and assist us so to pass through this vale 
of tears, that we may at length make our 
lasting abode in the paradise of God. 

Be pleased, Father of mercies, to show 
thy favor to all men. O may every heart 
be converted by thy grace, warmed by thy 
love, filled with thy spirit, and every 
tongue be vocal with thy praise ; which we 
ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 



MORNING PRATER. 99 



MORNING PRAYER. 

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the 
spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance. 

O holy and righteous Father, source of 
all wisdom, truth, and goodness, who 
dwellest in light and glory ! in the morn- 
ing shalt thou hear our voice. To thee 
will we direct our meditation and prayer, 
and look up. Thou hast invigorated our 
powers of body and of mind by rest and 
sleep, and we again dedicate them to thy 
service. 

We would come with a holy boldness to 
thy mercy-seat in the name of the Media- 
tor, and offer thee our fervent prayer and 
grateful praise. We thank thee for thine 
infinite goodness, indicated by thy works 
of creation, declared by thy word, and mani- 
fested by thy Son. We thank thee for all 
our social, intellectual, and moral powers ; 
for all that we are by nature, and for all 



100 MORNING PRAYER. 

that we may become by education and 
grace. Thou hast granted us the gift of 
speech ; may it ever be our delight to speak 
thy praise. Thou hast given us the power 
of memory; O may we remember thee. 
Thou hast given us reason ; may we em- 
ploy this noble faculty in the acquisition of 
truth and virtue. Thou hast given us con- 
science ; O may it be enlightened by thy 
word, and kept tender and inviolate. Thou 
hast made us capable of endless progress in 
knowledge and holiness ; O may we never 
rest satisfied with any present attainments 
in truth and goodness ; but. forgetting the 
things that are behind, may Ave press for- 
ward toward the mark for the prize of the 
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

Knowing thy readiness to give the holy 
spirit to them that ask thee, may we seek 
its influences and obey its suggestions. 
Assured that thou workest in us both to 
will and to do of thy good pleasure, may 
we work out our own salvation with fear 
and trembling. May Christ be formed in 
us, the hope of glory. May we so confess 



MORNING PRAYER. 101 

him on earth, that he will confess us in 
heaven. Help us to gain the victory over 
all our appetites and passions. Knowing 
that earthly riches take to themselves wings 
and fly away ; that we brought nothing 
into the world, and can carry nothing out 
of it, may we lay up our treasure in the 
heavens. Taught, that this is not our 
home, that we have here no abiding place, 
may we seek a city that hath foundations, 
whose builder and maker is God. Know- 
ing that it is appointed unto all men once 
to die, and after that the judgment, may 
we so live, as we shall wish we had, when 
we come to die, and so die that we may 
meet thee in peace. 

To our prayers for ourselves we join in- 
tercessions for the whole human family. 
Be thou a benefactor to the poor, a phy- 
sician to the sick, a comforter to the sorrow- 
ing, a friend and deliverer to all the 
oppressed. Instruct the ignorant in useful 
knowledge, enlighten the morally blind, 
and may the gospel of the blessed God go 
forth into all lands, banishing error by its 



102 MORNING PRAYER. 

truth, scattering darkness by its light, in- 
spiring faith, enkindling hope, exciting 
virtue and piety, cheering and sanctifying 
all hearts, and saving all souls. And may 
the predicted time draw near and come, 
when at the name of Jesus every knee shall 
bow, and every tongue confess him Lord, 
to the glory of thee, the Father. Amen. 



EVENING PRAYER. 103 



EVENING PRAYER. 

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray and 
cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice. 

O thou, who hast drawn around us the 
curtains of another evening in mercy, and 
hast been our strength and preserver 
through the day, we desire to cherish such 
a deep sense of our dependence on thee, 
and of thy great goodness to us, that we 
shall be truly grateful. May a sense of 
our unworthiness make us humble ; and 
may we so feel the burden of our sins as 
to render us sincerely penitent. We rejoice 
that to the Lord our God belong mercies 
and forgiveness ; that thou desirest not 
the death of the sinner, but rather that he 
turn and live. We earnestly implore the 
aids of thy grace, which thou hast revealed 
and dost communicate to the world through 
Jesus Christ. Grant to us such temporal 
blessings as are best for us ; and make us 



104 EVENING PRAYER. 

contented and resigned. Hide not thy 
commandment from us. Grant us spiritual 
blessings. Increase our virtues. Give us 
livelier perceptions of duty ; more courage 
and power to resist temptations ; a more 
ardent zeal ; a more active faith ; a more 
tender conscience ; a brighter hope ; a more 
filial trust ; a more submissive will ; a more 
holy and constant obedience. 

We thank thee for the inestimable privi- 
lege of reading thy word from day to day. 
O may it be ingrafted in our hearts, and 
bring forth in us the fruits of holy living. 
Quicken our consciences ; deepen holy 
impressions ; strengthen holy resolutions. 
May we love religion. May we love Jesus. 
May we love thee with a pure and supreme 
love, and serve thee with a filial obedi- 
ence. 

Without thee, O God, we could not ex- 
ist ; without thy favor we cannot be happy. 
Save us from the perils of the night. Let 
nothing disturb our repose ; and when we 
awake, let us not forget that we have laid 
down and slept and have been refreshed 
because thou hast sustained us. 



EVENING PRAYER. 105 

While we are indulged with health, we 
would remember those visited with sick- 
ness ; while our cup with plenty runneth 
over, we would remember those who are 
famished for bread, and pinched with cold ; 
while we enjoy gospel light and liberty, 
we would remember those who are perish- 
ing for lack of vision, and groaning in 
bondage. O wilt thou supply their every 
need of body and of soul. 

Reward all who have done us good ; 
forgive all who have done us evil. Gra- 
ciously hear those who intercede for us in 
prayer, and hear our intercessions for them. 
Shed down thy heavenly light upon hea- 
then lands ; and may the whole earth be 
filled with the knowledge and glory of 
God ; and may the kingdom of the Re- 
deemer be built up ; and through him may 
worship be paid by all mankind to thee, 
who art God over all, blessed forevermore. 
Amen. 



106 MORNING PRAYER. 



MORNING PRAYER. 

Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may 
be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall 
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. 

O God, who art from everlasting to ever- 
lasting, the same powerful, wise, holy, and 
good being : we acknowledge thee to be 
the Lord of heaven and of earth, our sove- 
reign, lawgiver, and judge. By thee actions 
are weighed ; and thou art the searcher of 
the heart. We thank thee for thy tran- 
scendent love in the gift of thy dear Son. 
Through him, as the glorious Mediator, 
would we humbly and devoutly approach 
thy mercy-seat, and present to thee, the 
God of our life, the lengthener of our day, 
and the bestower of all our comforts and 
blessings, our united offerings of gratitude 
and prayer. Thou, who never slumberest 
nor sleepest, hast watched over us, and 
given us quiet repose ; and now thou art 



MORNING PRAYER. 107 

favoring us with the comforts of another 
morning. We thank thee for thy forbear- 
ance, thy long-suffering, and gentleness 
towards us. Make us unfeignedly thankful 
for thy goodness, truly penitent for our 
sins, and more cautious and steadfast in 
future. May we often review our conduct, 
and grow wiser and better by our past ex- 
perience. May we make continual progress 
in the Christian life ; daily striving for a 
more complete victory over our appetites 
and passions, and a greater conformity in 
disposition and character to thy holy will. 

Grant thy blessing upon every member 
of this family ; and upon all the inhabitants 
of this town. May those who have named 
the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 
May those who believe in God be careful 
to maintain good works. May sinners 
be converted, and walk before thee in 
newness of life. May the ministers of our 
holy religion be faithful in the discharge of 
their duty, and wilt thou prosper the work 
of their hands. We pray for all in poverty, 
sickness, and sorrow. Wilt thou merci- 



108 MORNING PRAYER. 

fully grant them such favors as their cir- 
cumstances require. 

Direct and support us while we live ; 
and when we die, receive us into heavenly 
mansions, through thy mercy in Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 



EVENING PRAYER. 109 



EVENING PRAYER. 

Cornelius was a devout man, and one that feared God 
with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, 
and prayed to God always. 

Almighty and most merciful God, who 
hast been our defence during the day, we 
come before thee, as disciples of Jesus 
Christ, to acknowledge thy goodness, and 
to implore a continuance of it. We thank 
thee for all the temporal and for all the 
spiritual favors thou hast conferred upon 
us. O make us duly feel our obligations 
to love and serve thee, and to own and 
follow thy Son, who has left us not only 
his pure precepts, but also his pure exam- 
ple. May none of us turn a deaf ear to 
the instructions of him who speaketh from 
heaven, and hath the words of eternal 
life. 

Dispose us every evening, before we 
shut our eyes in sleep, to examine our- 



110 EVENING PRAYER. 

selves, and to exercise repentance for all 
the sins we have committed, so that we 
may go to our rest at peace with thee and 
with our own consciences. 

Wilt thou preserve us through the 
watches of the night, and give to us the 
repose which our nature demands. 

We intercede with thee for all our breth- 
ren of mankind. Wilt thou feed the hun- 
gry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, relieve 
the distressed, send deliverance to the cap- 
tive, unbind the heavy burden, and let the 
millions of thy children who are wrong- 
fully kept in bondage go free. Be with 
all who are employed in works of human- 
ity and mercy. Endue them with heaven- 
ly wisdom and divine strength ; give 
abundant success to their generous enter- 
prises and labors ; and may the blessing of 
those ready to perish come upon them. 
Be with all who are preaching the gospel 
in heathen lands ; and O wilt thou make 
them wise to win souls. 

Wilt thou bless all those who have at 
any time requested a remembrance in our 



EVENING PRAYER. Ill 

prayers ; and wilt thou graciously regard 
all those who pray for us. 

Almighty Father, assist us so to live, 
that when we die we may inherit the 
blessedness of those who die in the Lord, 
who rest from their labors, and their works 
do follow them. We offer these our 
prayers through him who is the resurrec- 
tion and the life. Amen. 



112 MORNING PRAYER. 



MORNING PRAYER. 

To prayer, to prayer ! for the morning breaks, 
And earth in her Maker's smiles awakes. 
His light is on all below and above — 
The light of gladness, and life, and love. 
0, then, on the breath of this early air, 
Send upward the incense of grateful prayer. 

Almighty and most merciful God, the 
contriver, the maker, and upholder of all 
worlds,' on whom all beings wait, and all 
creatures depend ! we would come to thee, 
believing that thou art, and that thou art 
the rewarder of all those who diligently 
seek thee. We thank thee for thy pre- 
serving goodness till the present time. 
Dispose us to dedicate the life thou hast 
given, and art thus prolonging, to thee and 
to thy service. 

Thy law, O Lord, is perfect, converting 
the soul. May it have this effect on every 
soul now in thy presence. Thy command- 
ment is pure, enlightening the eyes. O 



MORNING PRAYER. 113 

may it remove our moral blindness; and 
may we inherit the blessedness of the pure 
in heart, who see God. Thy service is 
perfect freedom, and in keeping thy com- 
mandments there is great reward. May 
we ever regard sin as our worst enemy ; 
and seek divine truth, virtue, and purity, 
as our only means of happiness. So long 
as it shall please thee to continue us in this 
world, may the world be benefited by our 
existence in it. Prepare us for all the 
various trials through which we are to pass. 
Let not prosperity make us proud, and for- 
getful of thee ; let not adversity fill us with 
impatience and repining. In poverty may 
we be content ; in sickness, submissive and 
uncomplaining; in death, resigned to thy 
will, and trusting in thy mercy. May we 
be unduly anxious for nothing ; but in all 
things, by prayer and supplication with 
thanksgiving, make known our requests 
unto God. Give us the spirit of adoption, 
so that we may always come to thee, as 
children to a father. Give us the spirit 
of Christ ; and may we walk together as 
i 



114 MORNING PRAYER. 

heirs of the grace of life. May we have 
such a fear of thee that we shall have 
courage and boldness to withstand all the 
wiles of the adversary. Let not sin reign 
in our mortal bodies. Give us that faith 
which works by love, and that hope which 
shall never make us ashamed. May we be 
faithful unto death, and receive a crown of 
life. 

Sovereign of the universe, may thy 
blessing descend and rest upon all who are 
appointed to make and execute our laws ; 
and wilt thou so overrule all the affairs of 
our nation, that order, harmony, peace, 
virtue, and religion shall be prevalent 
among us. Wilt thou bless all those in- 
stitutions established for the suppression 
of intemperance ; for the relief of the poor 
and afflicted ; for the reformation of the 
vicious ; for the protection of the artless 
and innocent ; for the furtherance of the 
cause of civil and religious freedom, and 
of peace and truth. Be the guardian and 
guide of those who are laboring for the 
spread of the gospel in heathen lands. 



MORNING PRAYER. 115 

Put an end to delusion and error, super- 
stition and idolatry ; and may all nations 
and all men know and acknowledge thee, 
and him whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 



116 EVENING PRAYER. 



EVENING PRAYER. 

To prayer ! for the glorious sun is gone, 
And the gathering darkness of night comes on. 
Like a curtain from God's kind hand it flows 
To shade the couch where his children repose. 
Then kneel, while the watching stars are bright, 
And give your last thoughts to the Guardian of 
night. 

O God, our Father, who art the foun- 
tain of wisdom and blessedness, we desire 
so to love thee as to be known of thee as 
thy children. Thou hast made thy good- 
ness pass before us continually. Every 
morning and every evening we have fresh 
experience of thy loving-kindness. O that 
it might be our earnest inquiry, what shall 
we render unto the Lord for all his benefits? 

We thank thee for the shades and retire- 
ment of another evening, which brings us 
again around the family altar for adoration 
and prayer, and for another opportunity to 
read and hear thy word. May its truths 



EVENING PRAYER. 117 

sink deep into each of our hearts, and be 
as seed sown on good ground, springing up 
and bearing the fruits of righteousness and 
piety. May we embrace its doctrines with 
a strong and living faith. May its precepts 
guide, may its motives influence our con- 
duct. Suffer us not to rest in a dead faith, 
a false hope, or a disobedient love. Suffer 
us not to be ashamed of Christ, nor to deny 
him. May we show that we are his friends, 
by doing what he says ; and, that we love 
him, by keeping his commandments. If 
any of us have not as yet owned him, wilt 
thou constrain us to attend to the things 
that belong to our peace. Let not thy for- 
bearance tempt us to delay our conversion ; 
suffer us not to continue in sin, because 
grace abounds. May even thy goodness 
lead us to repentance. 

Known unto thee are our peculiar temp- 
tations and- trials; wilt thou adapt thy 
mercies to our wants. Give us thy holy 
spirit to help our infirmities. 

With adoring thoughts would we medi- 
tate on that grace and kindness which thou 



118 EVENING PRAYER. 

hast manifested to the world in thy Son, 
our Saviour. O let it not be in vain, and 
worse than in vain to any one of us, that 
Jesus Christ has suffered and died. May 
we remember the uncertainty of life, and 
the certainty of death ; and that thou wilt 
bring every work into judgment, with every 
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether 
it be evil. O Lord, while the day of grace 
lasts, make us the subjects of thy grace. 
While the door of mercy is open, may we 
seek admission into the kingdom of God. 
While our term of probation is lengthened 
out, may we prepare for the retributions of 
eternity. 

Hear our prayer for the prosperity of 
religion, for the purification and enlargement 
of the church of Christ ; for the complete 
victory of Christianity over every species 
of atheism, infidelity, error, and sin. O wilt 
thou remove from the professed followers 
of the Prince of Peace, all prejudice, un- 
charitableness, and spiritual pride. May 
believers show to the world that they are 
disciples of Jesus by loving one another. 



EVENING PRAYER. 119 

O God, bless the means of grace which 
are here enjoyed. Arouse the stupid to a 
sense of their danger. Guide those who 
are inquiring what they must do to be 
saved. Bless all Christian pastors and 
teachers. May they be faithful to their 
Master, and faithful to their flocks ; and 
may we esteem them very highly in love 
for their works' sake. 

Hear our intercessions for the young, the 
aged, the sick, and the afflicted ; for those 
in great danger, whether by sea or land ; 
for those in captivity and servitude. 

To thy guardian care we commend and 
commit ourselves, thou faithful Creator, 
and to thy holy name, through Jesus Christ, 
we ascribe everlasting praise. Amen. 



120 CHRISTMAS. 



CHRISTMAS. 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should 
not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Almighty and most merciful Father ! 
Thou art the God of glory and the God of 
grace. We thank thee that thou didst 
create man in thine own image and for thy 
service ; that thou didst endue him with 
social and moral powers, and with an im- 
mortal nature ; that thou hast made of one 
blood all nations of men for to dwell on all 
the face of the earth ; that thou hast never 
left thyself without witness, but hast done 
thy children good, giving them rain and 
fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with 
food and gladness. 

We thank thee, that, when man had by 
transgression forfeited thy favor, thou wast 
still merciful ; that, when moral and re- 
ligious darkness covered the people, thou 
didst cause thy sun of righteousness to 



CHRISTMAS. 121 

arise with healing in his beams. We thank 
thee, that thou, who didst speak to the 
fathers by the prophets, didst send thy Son 
into the world to enlighten, to sanctify, 
and save it. 

On this glad day, we would join with 
the millions of our Christian brethren, in 
praising thee for the provision, the promise, 
and birth of a Saviour, — for all those 
prophecies which preceded, and for all those 
wonderful circumstances which accom- 
panied and followed his glorious advent. 
We rejoice that there is proclaimed peace 
on earth and good-will to men ; that there 
is no condemnation to them that are in 
Christ Jesus. We rejoice that we live in a 
Christian land, and that our ears have 
heard the glad tidings of salvation. We 
thank thee for the mission and ministry of 
Jesus Christ ; for his wonderful works ; for 
his life-giving words; for his precious hopes 
and promises; for his spotless example ; for 
all his labors and sufferings to reform and 
save mankind. 



122 CHRISTMAS. 

Dispose each one of us to believe, own, 
obey, and imitate him ; and may we be par- 
takers of the redemption there is in Christ. 

We thank thee for all the good Chris- 
tianity has already done. We rejoice in the 
hope and prospect of what it is still to do. 
O wilt thou hasten the time, when the 
Saviour's name shall be known and rever- 
enced by all mankind. Bless all the 
churches of our Lord Jesus Christ, and all 
the preachers of his gospel. Endue them 
with that wisdom ; truth, and charity, 
which shall qualify them for their impor- 
tant office. 

Merciful God, pardon our sins ; and con- 
tinue to us thy providential care and gra- 
cious aid, through Jesus Christ, our Lord 
and Saviour. Amen. 



GOOD FRIDAY. 123 



GOOD FRIDAY. 

He hath poured out his soul unto death ; and he was 
numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of 
many, and made intercession for the transgressors. 

Most merciful God, who didst so love 
the world as to give thy Son to declare 
and communicate thy grace ; to suffer and 
die for us ; to bless us in turning us 
away from our iniquities ; we desire 
at this time to call into lively and grate- 
ful remembrance the passion, the suffer- 
ings, and death of the Saviour. May we 
be deeply affected by this wonderful dis- 
play of divine love and mercy. O may 
we so meditate on the sufferings and cruci- 
fixion of our Lord, and may our hearts be 
so touched by a view of this moving scene, 
that we shall be willing to suffer the loss 
of all things that we may win Christ. May 
it have such an influence upon us that the 
world shall be crucified to us, and we to 
the world. 



124 GOOD FRIDAY. 

God forbid that we should glory, save in 
the cross of Christ. O when we contem- 
plate the Saviour agonizing and praying 
in the garden of Gethsemane ; betrayed by 
one of his disciples, forsaken by all ; ar- 
raigned, condemned, mocked, buffeted, 
scourged ; now bearing his cross, now 
bleeding and dying upon it ; O may our 
love of vanity and sin be destroyed ; our 
faith in Jesus confirmed, and our warmest 
gratitude to him excited. May we be 
united to him by the purest affection and 
the most constant obedience. May we 
bear our cross, die to sin, and live to holi- 
ness. 

Thy beloved Son humbled himself and 
became obedient unto death, even the 
death of the cross ; O give us a humble 
mind and an obedient heart. He prayed 
even for his murderers ; O dispose us to be 
meek and lowly, mild and merciful. He, 
for the joy set before him, endured the 
cross, despising the shame ; O let us never 
be ashamed of him, or of his word. Looking 
to Jesus, may we endure temptations, trials, 



GOOD FRIDAY. 125 

persecutions, and tribulations, and come 
off conquerors and more than conquerors 
through him who hath loved us and given 
himself for us. May his sufferings and 
death exert all their designed influences on 
our hearts and lives. Prepare us for every 
trying scene and every afflictive event ; 
and when we are called to die, enable and 
prompt us to say, Not my will, but thine 
be done. Father, into thy hands I com- 
mend my spirit. 

We commend to thy care and protection 
all who suffer for Christ's sake. We pray 
that the time may come when the gospel 
shall enlighten all men, and guide them 
into the way of holiness and salvation. 

O God, grant us thy grace while we live : 
and when we die, receive us into thy hea- 
venly kingdom, through Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 



1*26 EASTER. 



EASTER. 

Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the 
first fruits of them that slept. 

O God, who art the former of our bodies 
and father of our spirits, we desire now, 
through him who is the way, and the truth, 
and the life, to give honor and glory, 
thanksgiving and praise to thee, for thy 
great goodness manifested in our creation, 
in our preservation, and especially in our 
day and means of grace and hopes of eter- 
nal blessedness. We would account it a 
faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta- 
tion, that Jesus Christ came into the world 
to save sinners. We thank thee that when 
he was crucified, dead, and buried, thou 
by thy mighty power didst raise him from 
the dead, thereby attesting the divinity of 
his mission, sealing the truth of his doc- 
trines, and giving us a pledge of our own 
resurrection and future life. We rejoice 
that thou hast abolished death, and brought 



EASTER. 127 

life and immortality to light. Blessed art 
thou, God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who according to thine abundant 
mercy hast begotten us again to a lively 
hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
from the dead, to an inheritance incorrupti- 
ble, undefiled, and that fadeth not away- 
reserved in heaven for us. We would re- 
joice in the belief that now Christ is risen 
from the dead, and become the first fruits of 
them that slept ; and that all who sleep in 
Jesus will God bring with him. We re- 
joice in the belief of his triumph over the 
grave, his glorious ascension into heaven, 
and his exaltation at thy right hand, and 
that he is able to save to the uttermost all 
who come unto God by him. 

O may we awake from the slumberings 
of a guilty conscience, from the dreams of 
earthly pleasures, and from the drowsiness 
of a worldly and slothful spirit, to a life of 
prayer, of penitence, of faith, and holiness. 
May our affections and desires rise from 
things seen to the things unseen, from 
earth to heaven. Inspire us with that hope 



128 EASTER. 

which entereth into that within the veil. 
Give us a spiritual mind. Persuade us to 
seek another and better country, even an 
heavenly ; and to live by faith in the Son 
of God. O give us an unwavering faith 
and a well grounded hope in a crucified, 
risen, ascended, exalted, and ever living 
Saviour. 

Wilt thou regard with compassion those 
in heathen lands. Wilt thou remove every 
hindrance to the universal spread and re- 
ception of the gospel ; and may the king- 
doms of the world become the peaceful 
and happy kingdoms of Jesus Christ. 

O God, bestow upon each one of us that 
grace and mercy which we need, and when 
we are absent from the body, may we be 
present with the Lord. These our prayers 
we offer to thee through him who is the 
resurrection and the life, to whom be glory 
and praise forever. Amen. 



THANKSGIVING. 129 



THANKSGIVING. 

Giving thanks always for all things unto God even the 
Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Almighty God, we adore thee as our Cre- 
ator, Preserver, and constant Benefactor. 
We, thy dependent children, desire on this 
day to join with our brethren in rendering 
thanksgiving and praise to thee. Thou art 
good, and thou doest good continually. 
The earth, O Lord, is full of thy riches ; 
and so also is the great and wide sea. Thou 
art good unto all, and thy tender mercies 
are over all the works of thy hand. 

We would come before thee with grate- 
ful hearts, to acknowledge the care of thy 
providence and the smiles of thy bounty. 
It is thou who causest us to dwell in peace 
and safety ; who givest us health in our 
habitations, and peace in our borders ; who 
hast given us the early and latter rain, the 
genial influences of the sun, the hope of 
j 



130 THANKSGIVING. 

spring, and the joys of autumn. Thou, O 
God, causest the earth to yield her increase ; 
thou givest us fruitful seasons, and crownest 
the labors of the husbandman with thy 
blessing. 

We would trace all our temporal as well 
as spiritual favors to thee, the source of all 
good. We thank thee for all the comforts 
and conveniences of life with which we 
are surrounded. 

O Parent of mercies, dispose us to mani- 
fest our gratitude to thee, not only by the 
language of our lips, but by the actions of 
our lives. Impress us with a deep sense of 
our dependence on thee for all things, and 
of our obligations to love thee with all our 
hearts, and serve thee with all our powers. 

While we enjoy thy bounty, may we re- 
member the poor and needy, and show 
our thankfulness to thee by charity to them. 
Supply the wants of the destitute, and 
comfort all who are in trouble. 

Wilt thou bless all the inhabitants of this 
state and those in authority over us. 



THANKSGIVING. 131 

Creator and Governor of the universe, 
wilt thou bless the president of these United 
States, and all those who are appointed to 
watch over our national welfare. Endue 
them largely with those gifts and graces 
which shall qualify them for their impor- 
tant and responsible stations. 

We pray for all mankind. May truth 
and holiness, peace and charity, gospel light 
and civil and religious liberty, universally 
prevail. Hear, O Lord, our prayer, and 
accept our praise, through Jesus Christ, our 
Redeemer. Amen. 



132 FAST. 



FAST. 



Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he 
shall lift you up. 

Most merciful Father, we thank thee, 
that by the mouth of thine ancient proph- 
ets thou didst reveal thyself as a prayer- 
hearing and a sin-forgiving God ; didst 
declare thyself gracious and merciful, not 
desiring the death of the sinner, but rather 
that he turn and live. We thank thee also 
for the greater and more affecting manifes- 
tations of thy love and mercy, which 
thou hast made through thy Son, our 
Saviour. 

Not in our own, but in the name of 
Christ, would we approach thy throne of 
grace, acknowledging our un worthiness and 
guilt, and imploring the aid of thy spirit, 
and thy pardoning mercy. 

O dispose each one of us, on this day, 
set apart for acts of fasting, humiliation, and 



FAST. 133 

prayer, to examine our hearts, to search and 
try our ways, and turn to thee, the Lord. 
Excite in us deep contrition, and lead us to 
sincere repentance for all our sins. If in 
seasons past we have disregarded thine 
authority, slighted thy word, disobeyed thy 
law, neglected thine ordinances, and abus- 
ed thy grace, O forgive us. If we have 
loved the creature more than the Creator, 
if we have loved the praise of men more 
than the praise of God, if we have given 
our hearts to the world, and not set our 
affections on things above, O make us 
penitent and pardon us. 

If we have been deaf to the invitations of 
the Saviour, and refused to own and follow 
him, O fill our hearts with that godly sor- 
row which w r orketh life and peace. 

If we have been wanting in justice and 
charity to men. and piety to thee, if we 
have yielded to temptation, if we have dis- 
regarded the voice of conscience, if we 
have resisted thy spirit, O enable and dis- 
pose us by thy grace to reform. 



134 FAST. 

Give us thy holy spirit. May we exer- 
cise that repentance which will restore 
us to thy favor ; and may we in future 
be mindful of our obligations and depen- 
dence. 

We would resolve by thy grace assisting 
us, in time to come, to be more circum- 
spect and watchful, more holy and use- 
ful. Wilt thou, O God, who knowest our 
frailties, and our proneness to go astray, 
endue us with that moral power and 
courage that will enable us to overcome all 
our spiritual adversaries, and live obedient 
and conformed to thy most holy will. 

To our prayers for ourselves we would 
add intercessions for all the inhabitants of 
this town and state, and for all those who 
make and execute our laws. Bless our 
country, and all our civil rulers. May we 
seek that righteousness which exalts a na- 
tion, and avoid sin which is a reproach to 
any people. 

May the ignorant become savingly wise ; 
may those in error be taught thy truth ; 
may the intemperate form habits of sobriety ; 



FAST. 135 

may the profane and sinful become holy 
and reverential ; may the rich be grateful 
and generous ; the poor, prudent and con- 
tented ; may the bewildered and disconso- 
late find peace and joy ; and those in bon- 
dage be set free. O may thy Sabbaths be 
kept, thy word prized, thine ordinances 
observed, thy laws obeyed, thy name rever- 
enced, thy providence owned and trusted, 
thy Son honored and loved, and his gospel 
received by all thine intelligent offspring. 

Order in mercy the seasons of the year. 
And in all the events and circumstances of 
our lives may we remember our relations 
and accountableness to thee. 

We pray that the gospel of Christ may 
enlighten, purify, and save all nations ; and 
that the kingdoms of this world may be- 
come the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, 
through whom to thee be glory forever. 
Amen. 



136 A NEW YEAR. 



A NEW YEAR. 

Lord of life and seasons ! we 
Our sole reliance place on thee ; 
In thee we trust with holy fear, 
And bless thee for the new-born year. 

O God, by whose watchful providence 
we have been spared to the beginning of 
[another day, and of] another year, we desire 
to call to grateful remembrance all thy deal- 
ings towards us, and to thank thee for the 
favorable circumstances under which we 
are permitted to commence this new year. 
Whose hand but thine should we acknow- 
ledge in the preservation of our lives till 
now ; and to whom but thee, our adorable 
Father, should we look for help and grace 
in every future time of need ? To whom 
should we again dedicate ourselves, but to 
thee, whom we have never sought in vain, 
and whose mercy faileth not ? 

We know not the evil nor the good, 
which this year may bring us. We know 



A NEW YEAR. 137 

not what shall be on the morrow. Our 
lives and our times are in thy hand. With 
thee there is no beginning of days nor end 
of years. Thou ever livest and reignest 
God alone. 

O dispose us, as individuals and as a fam- 
ily, now solemnly to renew our engage- 
ments to love and serve thee. May we 
piously resolve to choose thee for our por- 
tion, and to give thee our hearts. If it 
please thee, spare our lives and our health, 
and prosper us in our temporal and spiritual 
concerns. Shouldst thou continue us in 
being through this year, may we spend it 
in working the works of him who sent us 
into the world. May none of our time be 
wasted. May none of our opportunities 
for usefulness be neglected. May every 
duty be performed with fidelity and cheer- 
fulness. May every trial be endured with 
patience. May every temptation be suc- 
cessfully resisted. 

In our intercourse with the world may 
we be just and benevolent, and exhibit the 
dispositions of Christians. Save us from 



138 A NEW YEAR. 

folly, discontent, and pride. Let not those 
above us excite our envy, nor those below 
us, our contempt. May we emulate the 
virtues of the good, and shun the vices of 
the evil. May the piety of thy children 
give us joy, and the transgressions of those 
who keep not thy word fill us with grief. 
Let not the irreligious shake our faith, nor 
scenes of vice harden our hearts. May all 
the blessings, thou grantest us this year, be 
duly acknowledged and piously employed. 
Shouldst thou give us health, may we be 
diligent and industrious; shouldst thou 
visit us with misfortunes, sickness, or sor- 
row, O let us not murmur, but acquiesce in 
all thy dealings. 

May this year find us more earnestly 
engaged in religion than we have been ; 
more frequent and fervent in prayer ; more 
useful in the service of our Master. O may 
we remember how important the race is, 
we are called to run; how arduous the war- 
fare, in which we are enlisted; how great 
the prize, held out for us to win. O may 
nothing beguile us of our reward, nor rob 
us of our hope of heavenly joy. 



A NEW TEAR. 139 

If, before this year ends, our mortal course 
be finished, may we be prepared to leave 
this world in peace, and enter the world of 
spirits with joy. Aid us in all our virtuous 
and pious endeavours, and assist us to ab- 
stain from every appearance of evil. O 
Lord, let thy mercy be upon us, as our hope 
is in thee. 

Send down thy blessings both temporal 
and spiritual on all our connexions. Give 
efficacy to thy word where it is preached ; 
and convey its light and truth to those in 
error and darkness. We pray for all in 
authority over us, for our native land, and 
for all mankind. Now may grace, mercy, 
and peace, from thee the Father, through 
Christ our Lord, be with us forever. Amen. 



140 CLOSE OF THE YEAR. 



CLOSE OF THE YEAR. 

The year rolls round, and steals away 
The breath that first it gave ; 
Whate'er we do, where'er we be, 
We 're hastening to the grave. 

Heavenly Father ! in the name of thy 
Son, would we come around our family- 
altar to acknowledge and worship thee. 
Thy kind providence has guarded, thy 
bounty has nourished us, to the close of 
another year. Thou hast redeemed our life 
from destruction and hast crowned the year 
with thy loving-kindness and tender mercy. 
Hitherto thou hast helped us. Amidst all 
the dangers to which we have been ex- 
posed, thou hast been our ark of safety. 
In all our cares and toils, thou hast been 
our support. In all our troubles, thou hast 
been our consolation. We devoutly thank 
thee for all the health and happiness we 
have enjoyed, for all the advantages with 
which we have been favored, and for all 



CLOSE OF THE YEAR. 141 

the prosperity that has attended our course. 
We desire to be grateful to thee for all those 
blessings thou hast conferred upon us, as a 
family, as social beings, and as Christians. 

O Lord, accept the offering of gratitude 
we bring thee for thy goodness through the 
past year. Wilt thou also pardon our sins. 
Wherein we have perverted our talents, 
misemployed our time, abused thy mercies, 
distrusted thy providence, or disregarded 
its admonitions ; wherein we have neg- 
lected our means of grace, our duties to 
thee, to the Saviour, or to our fellow-men ; 
wilt thou mercifully pardon us. 

Sanctify to us all our past joys, and all 
our past sorrows. 

If any of us are still living in sin, stran- 
gers to thee, and to the covenant of prom- 
ise, O dispose us by thy good spirit to 
exercise true and timely faith and repen- 
tance. 

Remembering how thou hast cared for 
us in seasons past, may we cast our care 
upon thee for seasons to come. Mindful 
of our past failings, may we be sober and 



142 CLOSE OF THE YEAR. 

watch unto prayer. Prepare us for every 
scene, whether of joy or of sorrow, through 
which we may be called to pass. If it 
please thee, spare us during this night and 
bring us to the commencement of another 
year, and may we then dedicate ourselves 
again to thee. 

Bless our friends. Forgive, if we have 
any, our enemies. Watch over the interests 
of our country, and extend the blessings of 
liberty and gospel truth to all thy children. 
May thy kingdom come, and thy will be 
done on earth as it is in heaven ; for thine 
is the kingdom, and the power, and the 
glory, forever and ever. Amen. 



GRACE BEFORE AND AFTER MEAT. 143 



GRACE BEORE MEAT. 

Paul took bread and gave thanks to God, in presence of 
them all. 

Heavenly Father, we acknowledge thy 
hand in these provisions for our temporal 
wants. Bless them to our strength and 
nourishment, and incline us to love, praise, 
and serve thee, as disciples of Jesus Christ. 



GRACE AFTER MEAT. 

We thank thee, O God, that we have 
again been fed by thy bountiful kindness. 
May all thy goodness fill us with joy and 
gratitude, and persuade us to a filial obedi- 
ence of all thy commands ; which we ask 
in the name of Christ our Lord. 



144 GRACE BEFORE AND AFTER MEAT. 



GRACE BEFORE MEAT. 

Grant, O God, thy blessing upon us and 
upon these fruits of thy bounty. May we 
receive all thy favors with grateful hearts, 
and live to thy glory, and by faith in Jesus 
Christ. 



GRACE AFTER MEAT. 

Father in heaven, we thank thee for 
these mercies and for all thy former care 
and kindness ; and pray that thou wouldst 
supply the temporal and spiritual wants of 
all thy children, through Jesus Christ. 



FOR A SICK PERSON. 145 



FOR A SICK PERSON. 

God will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy 
cry ; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. 

O Lord, our heavenly Father ! Thou art 
a God of grace and of pity. Thou art our 
refuge in times of danger, our help in times 
of distress. In thy hand is the soul of every 
living thing, and the breath of all mankind. 
With thee all things are possible. Thou 
art nigh unto all that call upon thee in 
trouble ; and comfortest them that are cast 
down. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, we entreat 
thee to hear our prayer for thy servant who 
is now dangerously sick. If it please thee, 
direct us to the use of those means which 
by thy blessing shall be made effectual in 
restoring him to health. Enable us to per- 
form all our duties to him, sensible of our 
dependence on thee, and trusting in thy 
providence. Give him patience under all 



146 FOR A SICK PERSON. 

his pains, and help him to bear all his trials 
with a filial submission to thy will. Shouldst 
thou appoint unto him many wearisome 
days and nights, may thy grace be sufficient 
for him. If it please thee, spare him a little 
longer, and restore him. If it please thee, 
let not his sickness be unto death. But 
whether it be unto death or not, may it be 
to thy glory, and to his spiritual and eter- 
nal good. Whatever may be the event, 
may we be enabled to say from the heart, 
Father, not my will, but thine, be done. 

We plead for the health of his body ; 
but more earnestly for the health of his 
soul. Give him divine light and strength, 
that inward peace which the world cannot 
give. Pardon all his sins, and inspire him 
with a living faith, and a holy and heavenly 
hope. May thy love be shed abroad in his 
heart ; surround him with thy care and 
presence; and dispose him to commend his 
body and soul to thy hands. 

If he is permitted to live, may his life be 
devoted to thee ; if he is soon to die, may 
he die in the Lord, and may death be his 
gain. 



FOR A SICK PERSON. 147 

O graciously prepare him ; and prepare 
us for all the events of thy providence ; 
and for every scene whether of joy, or of 
sorrow, through which we maybe called to 
pass. May we be resigned and conformed 
to thy will ; and may we so love, believe, 
and serve thee, and thy Son, that we shall 
find support and comfort in all our troubles, 
and that all things shall work together for 
our good. Hear our prayers for all who 
are sick and afflicted ; and send them all 
needed relief. O God, may thy providence 
be our guard, and thy spirit our guide 
through this world; and when we are called 
away from earth, may we be admitted into 
the unceasing joys of Heaven; through 
riches of grace in Jesus Christ our Lord, 
Amen. 



148 ON RESTORATION TO HEALTH. 

ON RESTORATION TO HEALTH. 

I was brought low, and he helped me. 

O God, thou art our Father ; and in thee 
we live, and move, and have our being. 
We will praise thee, for we are fearfully 
and wonderfully made. We will bless thee, 
for we are kindly and providentially sus- 
tained. In the name of thy dear Son, our 
Saviour, we come to thy mercy-seat, to 
bring thee an offering of gratitude and 
praise. Thou hast put a song of gladness 
into our hearts. Thou hast changed our 
darkness into light, and our sorrow into 
joy. Thou hast relieved us from our cares, 
and fears, and anxieties, and spoken peace 
to our disquieted breasts. Thou hast re- 
moved our pain and sufferings, strengthened 
our weakness, and healed our diseases. In 
trouble and danger thou hast been our help 
and deliverer. Thou hast visited us with 
thy healing mercies. We thank thee, O 



ON RESTORATION TO HEALTH. 149 

Father, that thou hast restored the sick; 
and that we are now in the possession and 
enjoyment of so many privileges and bless- 
ings. 

As we now own thy hand in this contin- 
uance of life and restoration to health, 
so let us never forget thy great goodness 
to us ; nor the impressions and resolutions 
made in our time of trouble. May we 
in future have a deeper sense of our de- 
pendence ; a more filial trust in thy provi- 
dence ; more earnest and constant desires 
to walk before thee in the land of the 
living ; and to glorify thee with our bodies 
and our spirits, which are thine by creation 
and preservation. 

May we henceforth set a juster value on 
our life, our time, our advantages, and 
blessings. May the life thou hast merci- 
fully prolonged, and the health and 
strength thou hast graciously renewed, be 
entirely devoted to thee and to thy ser- 
vice. May both our sickness and return- 
ing health be sanctified to us, to our in- 
crease in faith, in virtue, and in holiness. 



150 ON RESTORATION TO HEALTH. 

Since it has pleased thee to lengthen out 
our day of probation, may we wisely and 
piously employ it to thy glory, to the ad- 
vancement of true religion, and to the good 
of our fellow-men. 

O may thy servant, whom thou hast 
graciously healed, acknowledge thee in this 
joyful event ; and give his heart, and con- 
secrate his life to thee, his preserver. May 
he take the cup of salvation, and call on 
the name of the Lord. Give him thy spirit 
to guide and sanctify him ; and so long as 
he is continued in the world, dispose him 
to obey the precepts and follow the exam- 
ple of Jesus Christ. 

Prepare each one of us for all our trials ; 
may they all quicken our faith and piety ; 
and bring us nearer and nearer to thee. 
Hear our prayer for all the sons and daugh- 
ters of sorrow ; and send relief to all in 
trouble. 

May our past sickness remind us of the 
frailty of our frame, and the uncertainty of 
life. Teach us so to number our days that 
we may apply our hearts unto wisdom : 



ON RESTORATION TO HEALTH. 151 

and may we so glorify thee on the earth, 
that we shall enjoy thy glorious and 
blissful presence in heaven. We offer this 
our prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 



152 FOR A SICK CHILD. 



FOR A SICK CHILD. 

Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me ; 
nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. 

O God, who art the giver of life, and of 
every good gift ; in the name of our Lord 
Jesus Christ would we now lift up our souls 
to thee in earnest prayer. Thou knowest 
our wants, sufferings, and dangers, and thou 
knowest what is best for us. Regard us 
with thy compassion, grieved for the dis- 
tress, and anxious for the life of our little 
child. O let our cry come up before thee. 
If it be thy will, O Father, spare the life, 
and restore the health of the child. O grant 
thy healing mercies, and take not from us 
this dear object of our love, but give it 
strength and activity, and let it grow up a 
comfort and blessing to us, and a monu- 
ment of thy grace and kindness. But 
shouldst thou call it hence, O teach us to 
submit to thy will ; and, in the exercise of 
a Christian faith and hope, to surrender it 



FOR A SICK CHILD. 153 

into thy hands, assured that, however pain- 
ful the event may be to us, it will be well 
with the child. 

Shouldst thou continue it to us, may we 
feel our obligations to devote it to thee, and 
to train it up in the way of wisdom and 
virtue. Shouldst thou remove it, wilt thou 
receive it into thy kingdom of light and 
glory ; and may the bereavement be blest 
to our spiritual good. We commend its 
body and soul, and ourselves also, to thee ; 
beseeching thee to prepare us for all the 
changes and trials of this world, and for an 
endless state of being and happiness in the 
world to come. Hear us, O Father, in this 
our prayer, through thy mercy in Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 



154 ON THE DEATH OF A CHILD. 

ON THE DEATH OF A CHILD. 

The child is not ; and I, whither shall I go ? 

Our Father, who art in heaven ! through 
Jesus Christ, the resurrection and the life, 
we come to offer our prayer and supplica- 
tion to thee. O may thy light scatter our 
darkness, and thy spirit guide us in our 
communion with thee. We would not dis- 
pute thine authority, but own it with reve- 
rence. We would not strive against thy 
will, but submit to it in all things. We 
would not doubt thy wisdom and goodness, 
but piously believe that righteous and true 
are all thy dealings. Thou gavest us the 
child whose death we now lament, and 
thou hast taken it away. Help us to say, 
Blessed be thy name ! Thy will be done ! 

Known unto thee are the sorrows of pa- 
rents for their departed children. Look 
with pity on the pain we feel by this be- 
reavement, and with indulgence on the 



ON THE DEATH OF A CHILD. 155 

lamentation we make on account of this 
disappointed hope. But let not our afflic- 
tion for the dead disqualify us for our duties 
to the living ; nor our grief be inconsistent 
with a lively faith in thy word and promi- 
ses, and a filial trust in thy providence. 
While we see the face of the child no more, 
may Ave still believe that it is seen and 
surrounded by thee. While we feel our 
loss, may we think of the child's gain ; 
and while we regret its absence from our 
fond embraces, may we entertain the sooth- 
ing hope that it is gone to its heavenly 
Father, and to that Saviour, who, when on 
earth, took little children into his arms and 
blessed them ; and said, Suffer the little 
children, and forbid them not, to come unto 
me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 

We would not in this season of adversity 
forget all our former mercies ; nor be un- 
mindful of those many comforts which thou 
art even now bestowing upon us. Thy 
blessings surround us still ; and we would 
especially thank thee, at this time, for those 
means of grace, and for those sources of 



156 ON THE DEATH OF A CHILD. 

consolation, which thy goodness doth grant 
us. O may every afflictive scene show us 
more and more of the importance and com- 
forts of religion. O may we prize thy holy 
word, and love it exceedingly. May it be 
our light in every season of darkness ; our 
guide through the wilderness of this world ; 
and may it acquaint us with a hope full of 
a glorious immortality. May it lead us to 
an all-sufficient Saviour, to an unfailing 
Friend, and a heavenly inheritance. Taught, 
in so affecting a manner, that our time is 
short, that here we have no continuing city, 
that earthly possessions fail, and earthly 
ties and attachments are liable to be broken, 
and cannot last, may we seek an enduring 
substance, and spend our days in those ex- 
ercises and duties which belong to us, as 
accountable beings and Christians. May 
our whole life be a preparation for death ; 
and may we so believe in and follow Jesus 
Christ, that, when we are absent from the 
body, we may still live with him. 

Hear our prayer for all the sick and 
afflicted ; and support and comfort them ; 



ON THE DEATH OF A CHILD. 157 

and teach them, by the sufferings and sor- 
rows of this world, to choose that good part 
which shall never be taken away from 
them : and to seek a city that hath founda- 
tions, whose builder and maker is God. 
Hear us in this our prayer, through thy 
great mercy in the Saviour. Amen. 



158 ON THE DEATH OF A PARENT. 



ON THE DEATH OF A PARENT. 

To be used by the survivor, with the family. 

I will not leave you comfortless. 

O God, we thank thee that in the name 
of Jesus Christ we may approach thee, as 
our Father and our Friend. Dispose each 
one of us now in the season of our afflic- 
tion to receive counsel and direction from 
thy holy word, and with devout hearts to 
embrace the doctrines and promises of the 
blessed gospel. To whom but to thee 
should we go for light, when mournful 
clouds overshadow our way ? Thou hast 
strength for the weak, and a balm for the 
wounded spirit. In danger thou art our 
hiding-place and our shield ; may we hope 
in thy word. Thou art good ; a strong- 
hold, and a refuge, and nigh to all who are 
in trouble. Thou canst dry up the mourn- 



ON THE DEATH OF A PARENT. 159 

er's tears ; in thee the fatherless may find 
mercy. Thou hearest those who cry unto 
thee ; and thou hast an eye to pity, and an 
arm to save. With thee there is comfort 
for those in sorrow, and consolation for the 
afflicted. 

Our Father, though cast down and deso- 
late, may we still feel thy presence with us. 
From me thou hast taken the kind friend 
and partner of my bosom ; the sharer in my 
toils, my joys, and my sorrows ; and from 
these children thou hast taken a tender and 
affectionate parent. In this mournful event, 
may we own thy providence, and bow in 
humble submission to thy will. Help us to 
show the patience and resignation of thy 
children and disciples of thy Son. May 
we be still, and know that thou art God; 
that thou art wise to know what is best for 
us, and able and willing to grant it ; and 
that if we trust in thee we shall lack no 
good thing. Enable us to endure this pain- 
ful separation without a complaining word 
or thought. And may this affliction have 
all its proper influences on our hearts and 
lives. 



160 ON THE DEATH OF A PARENT. 

While we mourn for the departed, let us 
not forget to be grateful for the blessings 
thou hast continued to us so long, and for 
the many mercies which surround us even 
now. May we cherish a kind remembrance 
of the deceased ; and may we be instructed 
by this dispensation to set our affections on 
things above. 

Help the surviving head of this family to 
discharge the multiplied and arduous duties 
which this bereavement will demand. As- 
sist thy servant to bring up these children 
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord ; 
and to be a living and daily example to 
them of virtue and piety. Preserve their 
lives and their health ; and keep them from 
the evils to which they are now peculiarly 
exposed. Give to each of us the wisdom, 
the grace, and support, that we need. May 
we live in peace and concord, aiding and 
comforting one another, and walking to- 
gether as heirs of the grace of life. What- 
ever trials are before us, may thy grace be 
sufficient for us. 



ON THE DEATH OF A PARENT. 161 

O pardon all our sins ; enlighten our 
minds with a sanctifying and saving know- 
ledge of thy truth ; and confirm us in the 
faith of the Son of God. May thy spirit 
and thy peace dwell in our hearts ; and 
inspire us with a hope, which shall be as 
an anchor to our souls. May we be con- 
tented in whatever state thy providence 
shall place us. Whether we are rich or 
poor, may we have a treasure laid up in 
heaven. Whether we are in sickness or 
in health, may our souls prosper. If we 
live, may we live unto the Lord ; if we die, 
may we die the death of the righteous, and 
in the joyful expectation of a glorious re- 
surrection. 

We would remember in our supplications 
all who are in adversity. Compassionate 
their sufferings, and open to them divine 
and unfailing sources of consolation. 
may the glad tidings of the gospel reach 
every land, and rejoice every heart : and 
may thy kingdom come, and thy will be 
done on earth as it is done in heaven. 
These our prayers we offer in the name 

L 



162 ON THE DEATH OF A, PARENT. 

of him who is the way, and the truth, and 
the life ; by him rendering thanks and 
ascribing glory to thee forever and ever. 
Amen. 



PRIVATE DEVOTIONS. 163 

PRIVATE DEVOTIONS. 

For Sabbath Morning. 

Welcome, sweet day of rest, 

That saw the Lord arise ; 
Welcome to this reviving breast, 

And these rejoicing eyes. 

I thank thee, O Father, for the light of 
this sacred morning, which reminds me of 
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the 
dead, and of all that grace and kindness 
w T hich thou through him hast manifested to 
the world. May it be a good and profitable 
day to my soul. May I so spend it as I 
shall wish I had spent it, when called to 
render an account to thee of the use I have 
made of all my advantages and mercies. 
May I be alive to all its duties. May I be 
engaged in reading and hearing thy word ; 
in meditation, prayer, and praise ; in exer- 
cises of penitence for my sins, and of grati- 
tude for thy goodness ; in secret and social 
worship ; in communion with thy saints, 
and with thee, my heavenly Father. If I 



164 PRIVATE DEVOTIONS. 

am permitted to visit thy temple, may it be 
good for me to be there ; and wherever I 
may be, may I remember that thou art 
present with me ; and may I worship thee 
in spirit and in truth. Amen. 



On Entering Church. 

Holiness becometh thy house, Lord, forever. 

O God, may I feel thy presence, and see 
thy light, and be sanctified by thy truth, 
and filled with thy spirit, and think of thy 
loving-kindness in the midst of thy temple. 
May thy servant, who guides us in our 
devotions, be taught and guided by thee. 
May I join in all the duties of thine house 
with a willing and an attentive mind, and 
a devout heart. Wilt thou accept my prayer 
and praise. May I hear meekly thy word ; 
and may it do me good, as it doth the up- 
right in heart. Wilt thou grant me such a 
knowledge of thee, the only true God, and 
of Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, that 
I may inherit eternal life. Amen. 



# 

PRIVATE DEVOTIONS. 165 



On Leaving Church. 

We have thought of thy loving-kindness, God, in the 
midst of thy temple. 

Blessed be thy name, O Father, God of 
truth and of grace, for the privileges and 
mercies I enjoy. May the instructions of 
thy word, and the benefit of thine ordi- 
nances, be effectual means in thy hands to 
strengthen my faith, to increase my dili- 
gence in well-doing, and to make me grow 
in grace, and the knowledge of my Lord 
and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



Before Communion. 

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after 
righteousness ; for they shall be filled. 

O thou, who art the God and Father of 
my Lord Jesus Christ, and who hast com- 
manded me to believe, own, and honor thy 
Son, I desire to be grateful to thee that 
thou hast made known to me the gospel of 



166 PRIVATE DEVOTIONS. 

peace, and the way of salvation. I thank 
thee that I witness the return of another 
of these sacred and sacramental seasons. 

Help me by thy grace and spirit worthily 
to approach the table of my ascended Lord 
and Redeemer ; and, by partaking of these 
memorials of his body broken, and of his 
blood shed for me, to show his death till he 
come. While I shall eat and drink in re- 
membrance of him, may my heart be filled 
with love and gratitude to him. May my 
soul enjoy sweet communion with him. 
May my desires to resemble and be like 
him be strengthened. May I so think of 
his instructions, his labors, his sufferings, 
his death and burial, resurrection and ascen- 
sion, that I may feel their transforming and 
heavenly influence. 

Help me so to confess and remember him 
in this ordinance, and in all his command- 
ments, that he shall confess and remember 
me as his disciple in the presence of thee, 
his Father and my Father, his God and 
my God. Amen. 



PRIVATE DEVOTIONS. 167 



After Communion. 

God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven 
and of earth, for the truth and mercy thou 
hast revealed and conveyed to me through 
Jesus Christ, who came into the the world 
to save sinners. 

I thauk thee for this precious opportunity 
to obey one of his last commands, to 
commemorate his dying love. O may these 
privileges remind me of my obligations. 
May these means of grace be sanctified to 
my advancement in the spiritual and divine 
life. Dispose me to walk as Christ walked ; 
and to exercise such a faith in him that I 
shall be able to overcome the world. May 
I so imitate him in my dispositions and con- 
duct, that others shall take knowledge of 
me that I have been with Jesus. O help 
me to adorn a profession of godliness by a 
pious, a virtuous, and useful life. Grant 
that I may have that fellowship with thee, 



168 PRIVATE DEVOTIONS. 

the Father, and with thy Son, Jesus Christ, 
that when I depart out of this world, I may- 
be admitted into thy kingdom and temple 
above, to unite with the general assembly 
and church of the first-born, in ascribing 
glory and praise to Him that sitteth on the 
throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever. 
Amen. 



THE END. 



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